Whatever luck the New York Rangers have been having with wins has suddenly turned around to losses. Winning only one game this week leaves fans wondering if they are genuinely ready to take on the world. However, there’s no need to panic just yet. They won the game they should have won against the Arizona Coyotes, and the other three are teams with playoff potential.
While there’s no shame in losing to a better opponent, the Rangers have to start playing smarter and stop giving them scoring opportunities. No matter if it’s a poorly executed play or a penalty.
New York Rangers vs. Nashville Predators
December 12, 2021
Madison Square Garden
L 1-0
1st Period
No Scoring
2nd Period
01:44-Philip Tomasino, Filip Forsberg & Alexandre Carrier
3rd Period
No Scoring
The Rangers got off to a slow start in the first, but they eventually recovered. However, Nashville took advantage of New York’s mistake in the second to get on the board. The boys in blue tried so hard to get the puck in the net, but they ended up coming face to face with a goalie who was able to steal the game for the Predators. Juuse Saros successfully fended off 32 shots from the Rangers. Unfortunately, the Rangers got a taste of their own medicine, and it was odious.
New York Rangers @ Colorado Avalanche
December 14, 2021
Pepsi Center
L 4-2
1st Period
12:18-Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon & Andre Burakovsky
18:11-Cale Makar, MacKinnon & Nazem Kadri
2nd Period
10:36-Ryan Strome, Adam Fox & Artemi Panarin
18:45-Valeri Nichushkin, J.T. Compher & Kadri
3rd Period
17:58-Julien Gauthier, Dryden Hunt & Barclay Goodrow
19:23-Nichushkin & Kadri
Colorado took advantage of the mistakes and 17 minutes worth of penalties the Rangers coughed up. The Avalanche were firmly in control for the majority of the game, and by the time the Rangers were able to push back, it was too little, too late. Also, a kerfuffle broke out, and Kurtis MacDermid dropped Ryan Reaves in a fight, which seemed to help the Avalanche play with a little more gusto.
Alexandar Georgiev was not able to keep the ship afloat for the Rangers, and his teammates were not that much help for at least 40 minutes of the game. Finally, the Rangers came within inches of tying the game with under a minute remaining. However, Colorado was able to ride it out until the buzzer sounded.
New York Rangers @ Arizona Coyotes
December 15, 2021
Gila River Arena
W 3-2
1st Period
17:46-Loui Eriksson, Clayton Keller & Ilya Lyubushkin
2nd Period
10:40-Kaapo Kakko, Mika Zibanejad & Chris Kreider
3rd Period
08:47-Keller, Nick Schmaltz & Anton Stralman
14:14-Zibanejad, Fox & Kreider
17:42-Kakko, Kreider & Strome
It was surprising to see the rangers struggle against a bottom-five team. The Coyotes are one of the worst teams in the league right now. Combine that with the possibility of being homeless, and it’s little wonder they are having a difficult season. Each team was playing on an average level, and it was just enough to keep the game going. Panarin left the game in the second period due to a then-unknown lower-body injury.
The Rangers seemed to have a tough time scoring, but in the end, they came through for this game, giving themselves a much-needed win on the road.
New York Rangers vs. Vegas Golden Knights
December 17, 2021
Madison Square Garden
L
1st Period
06:49-Brett Howden, William Carrier & Keegan Kolesar
2nd Period
00:17-Zibanejad, Kreider & K’Andre Miller
10:25-Kreider, Zibanejad & Strome
3rd Period
14:44-Dylan Coghlan, Nicolas Hague & Howden
Overtime
No Scoring
Shootout
Round 1
Nicolas Roy-No Goal
Kakko-No Goal
Round 2
Evgenii Dadonov-No Goal
Zibanejad-No Goal
Round 3
Jonathan Marchessault-Goal
Strome-No Goal
This was a game they should have one. Instead, it’s another example of the Rangers not being able to hold the lead. They’ve struggled with it in past seasons, but yet again, it’s reared its ugly head in this one. In the first period, the Rangers played without much enthusiasm. They were letting Vegas get the best of them.
The second period found the Rangers with much more energy and urgency in their play. Zibanejad’s goal injected even more life into the play of his teammates. New York was able to hold Vegas off for the majority of the third, but they still allowed the tieing goal and were unable to gain back the lead.
It was a game of back and forth between the teams in overtime, but both goalies held strong sending it to a shootout. However, in a contest of skill, Vegas came away the winner that night.
What We Learned This Week
The Rangers are not ready for the playoffs. Granted, it’s still early in the season. However, after 30 games, their record is not too shabby. They still need to shoot the puck more; it’s one thing to be unselfish, but it’s totally another to stand on the ice playing tic-tac-toe with the puck. Also, it needs to be mentioned again, and again; they need to play a full 60-minute game.
One major bugaboo going on this season is the penalties. Sure every team gets them, but the Rangers seem to offer them up like a plate of their opponents’ favorite food. So while they have a good penalty kill, it isn’t wise to tempt fate.
Good News
Rangers fans were happy to hear that Igor Shesterkin was finally off the IR list. Keith Kinkaid was sent back down to the Hartford Wolfpack. Don’t expect to see Shesterkin in net before the new year.
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