3 Rangers takeaways after losing again to Hurricanes
Maybe the New York Rangers are waiting until the Stanley Cup Playoffs again to swat aside the Carolina Hurricanes. Or perhaps the Hurricanes are simply the better team this season after taking their third straight game against the Rangers, 4-0 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.
In a highly anticipated clash against a top division rival, the Rangers (24-22-4) weren’t terrible. But they most definitely were not good enough over 60 minutes Tuesday. As such, they lost their second straight game overall, following that painful 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, when Artturi Lehkonen scored with 15 seconds left in regulation.
As Mika Zibanejad said postgame Tuesday night at MSG, that Colorado loss “stings” but so does this one against the Hurricanes. It’s the first time since closing December with four straight defeats that the Rangers have lost consecutive games.
Their first two losses this season against the Hurricanes took place during that miserable 4-15-0 stretch of play in November and December. There was a 4-3 loss in Raleigh on Thanksgiving Eve and a 3-1 defeat at MSG on Dec. 22. So, they’ve managed four goals in three games against the Hurricanes, one in the past two.
This latest loss drops the Rangers to 6-8-0 in the Metropolitan Division. so it’s not a major surprise they’re tied for fifth in the division and 12th in the Eastern Conference. Division games matter. Then again, every game matters, especially with the Rangers trying to climb out of the huge hole they created for themselves.
January’s schedule is done. Now there are five games in eight days to play before an extended break for the 4 Nations Face-off. Ten points up for grabs against a mixed-bag of opponents beginning with the struggling Bruins on Saturday afternoon in Boston.
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3 takeaways from Rangers’ 4-0 loss to Hurricanes
Here are three takeaways from the loss Tuesday.
1. Struggling to keep up with best teams
The Rangers were a solid 8-3-3 in January, vaulting right back into the thick of the mediocre group of teams battling for a wild-card playoff berth in the East. They did an excellent job knocking off so-so teams in front of them in the playoff race like the Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets, and they pasted the Philadelphia Flyers, who are tied with the Rangers in the standings. They also dispatched the two teams they should have, the Chicago Blackhawks and Utah Hockey Club.
But when it came time for the Rangers to take out legit playoff teams, two things were evident. The Rangers are good enough to by and large keep up with the better teams. But right now, their game is not sound enough to earn two points consistently.
Yes, the Rangers did defeat the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights in consecutive games Jan. 9-11. But they blew third-period leads to lose four games (0-1-3) including three against quality opponents — twice to the Avalanche and once against the Dallas Stars. They also blew a third-period lead to lose in OT to the Montreal Canadiens, another middle-of-the-pack team.
Then there was the Hurricanes loss. It feels like the Rangers could make the playoffs but be a quick out this spring when faced with top competition.
2. Another deflating meltdown
Each of the four goals allowed by the Rangers came directly off turnovers and poor defensive coverage. It started just 56 seconds in, when Artemi Panarin’s neutral-zone turnover turned into a quick transition goal. No one picked up Andrei Svechnikov skating right down the middle to wire a shot past Igor Shesterkin after taking a pass from Taylor Hall.
Shesterkin cleaned up other mistakes until allowing three goals in a 3:01 Rangers meltdown that bridged periods 2 and 3. Vincent Trocheck’s ill-advised drop pass on a short-handed rush sent the Hurricanes the other way to score a backbreaking goal with 31 seconds left in the second period. Again, no one was there to stop Svechnikov, this time for an easy tap in.
A soft clearing attempt by Chris Kreider early in the third led to a turnover at the blue line and a quick Sebastian Aho goal. Then Zibanejad lost a puck battle behind his own net, leaving his man wide-open in the slot, and Seth Jarvis buried a one-timer with Alexis Lafreniere about two strides too late to cover him.
If you’re wondering, the answer is no. No, the Rangers haven’t completely cleaned up and fixed their defensive zone issues.
3. Andy was dandy
There are two ways to look at the Rangers ending up with a goose egg on the scoreboard. One is that they couldn’t finish some really good looks, primarily in the second period, with Kreider’s flub at the side of the net a major missed opportunity to tie the game. The other is to credit Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
As with most situations, it’s never just one thing. Yes, a bounce here or there, more traffic in front, some better finish and the Rangers could’ve had a better result. But Andersen deserves props. He was excellent in his third game back following knee surgery. The Rangers managed just 22 shots on goal, but Andersen did make several Grade-A stops, especially during the large swath of the game when the score was 1-0. He sure looked healthy in the first period when he made back-to-back saves to stone Trocheck point blank and then deny Lafreniere on a rebound in front.
The deflated Rangers cratered offensively after the Hurricanes scored two quick ones in the third. Andersen faced only three shots in the period, though he did stop Zibanejad on a late breakaway to preserve the shutout.
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