3 Rangers takeaways after being edged by Jets 2-1 to begin road trip
There are no consolation prizes nor moral victories for the New York Rangers these days. It’s as simple as pile up as many points as possible in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
That means win as many games as you can down the stretch of the season.
So, their narrow 2-1 loss to the League-leading Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday is not a reason to pat themselves on the back for a job pretty well done against an elite opponent. It was still a loss, two points not gained in the standings. Plain and simple.
But, yes, the Rangers were better against the first overall Jets than they were this past weekend, blowing a pair of two-goal leads in Ottawa where they lost 4-3 in overtime to the Senators. Or that 7-3 drubbing at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets at MSG the next night.
There were still egregious defensive miscues in Winnipeg, though fewer of them. And the Rangers pretty much stood toe to toe with the Jets over 60 minutes of play in the opener of a critical three-game road trip.
Close is not good enough, though. Better is not good enough. The Rangers (31-28-6) are now 10th in the conference after the Montreal Canadiens moved percentage points ahead of them. But the Rangers remain just two points out of the second wild card with 17 games to play. And some of the good things they did Tuesday need to carry forward as the schedule continues Thursday in Minnesota against the Wild.
Related: Winners, losers from Rangers loss in Winnipeg to start road trip
Three takeaways from Rangers 2-1 loss to Jets
Here are three takeaways from the Rangers fourth straight loss on Tuesday.
1. Not quite measuring up
The loss Tuesday dropped the Rangers to 9-18-4 against teams currently in a playoff spot, and they were swept in their two-game season series against the Jets. Since the 4 Nations break, the Rangers are winless against teams in a playoff spot (0-3-2). Their next three games are against such teams as are four of their next five.
Since 11 of their final 17 games are against playoff teams, the Rangers better learn quickly how to defeat the League’s best and not just feast on the weaker teams. It very well could be the decisive factor as to whether they reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight season or not.
2. Crucial breakdowns, even if fewer of them
First, the good news: the Rangers committed fewer defensive breakdowns than in weekend losses to the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, the bad news. The Rangers still had some egregious collapses defensively as they continue to struggle with the speed of the game and man-to-man coverage.
On the Jets first goal, Winnipeg had just three players in the offensive zone and New York had all five of its players back. Should’ve been advantage Rangers. But no. The Rangers were running around, showing no structure in their positioning and somehow allowed Vladislav Naesmtnikov to slip behind everyone for a goal-mouth tip that hit his stick, then Sam Carrick, before crossing the goal line. How Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti, who made the pass from left wing, had so much space to operate in, is baffling and inexcusable.
Then there were the three clean breakaways for the Jets, including one by Namestnikov just 60 seconds after the Jets snagged a 2-1 lead early in the second period. The Rangers were caught flat-footed and looked slow on each. Igor Shesterkin stopped each breakaway in a sterling performance, albeit a losing effort.
3. Follow fourth
Yet again, the Rangers fourth line of Matt Rempe, Jonny Brodzinski and Brennan Othmann played a simple and effective game. They got the puck in deep, won their one-on-one battles, generated traffic in front of Connor Hellebuyck’s net and were an overall nuisance while generating some of New York’s better scoring chances.
The rest of the Rangers could take some notes on how effective it is to keep things as simple as possible and just out work the opposition. This doesn’t mean the fourth line was perfect — their defensive zone play was wanting on more than one occasion. But turn them loose in the offensive zone and they’re effective.
Rempe, who had the misfortune of being wrongly penalized for goalie interference when shoved into Hellebuyck early in the second period leading to Winnipeg’s go-ahead goal on the power play, had four hits and three shot attempts in nine minutes of even-strength TOI. Simple and effective and hard-nosed described his game.
Brodzinski was less noticeable than he’s been of late, but still buzzed the offensive zone. And Othmann had one powerhouse shift in the first period when he recorded three shots on goal, one from long range and two from the slot. It started with a home-run pass from Shesterkin to Othmann, and the rookie hammering a hard low slap shot on net that was kicked out by Hellebuyck and just missed by Rempe on the rebound. Then that line won a series of puck battles which led to prime chances for the rookie forward after he twice found the soft spot in Winnipeg’s defense in the slot.
More About:New York Rangers News