The Rangers lost their second straight, falling 2-0 to the Blue Jackets on Friday. Despite getting 36 shots on Sergei Bobrovksy, New York was unable to beat the goalie, partially due to most of those attempts not coming from high-danger areas. Henrik Lundqvist was strong in the defeat, stopping 40 shots, beaten only by Zach Werenski and Artemi Panarin, who loves to score against the Rangers.
Game recap:
MSG Post-Game:
New York generated little 5v5 again, with as I said above, most of the chances easily stoppable by Bobrovksy. One good shot he saved was on Jimmy Vesey. The result of the long rebound was a 3-on-2 breakout by Columbus. On the play, David Desharnais missed deflecting the puck off the stick of Brandon Dubinsky, who fed an open Werenksi in the slot for a top shelf goal and 1-0 lead. New York seemed to be in decent position, but when Desh went down and missed the stick check, open gaps were left, leading to the goal.
On the second goal, a questionable inference penalty on Pavel Buchnevich gave a weak Columbus power play an opportunity. The goal by Panarin, which Lundqvist tipped and probably should have stopped, came about because Kevin Hayes failed to clear the zone. Hayes should have easily shot the puck down the ice but for some reason, attempted to stick handle, enabling the Blue Jackets to retain possession, leading to the goal.
Brendan Smith had a fairly solid game in his return to the lineup. He was on the ice for the first goal, but after seeing several replays, there was little he could do in the play. Maybe stay with Werenski, but when Dubi beat Desh, Smith moved over to help on Dubi, opening up an even wider passing lane. If Smith plays like he did last night moving forward, he should remain in the lineup.
Because New York generated little 5v5, coach Alain Vigenault shook up the lines, moving Vesey up and Buch down. While not necessarily a change I agree with, I can understand the rationale, especially since Vesey looked to be having a strong game and AV was searching for answers. The lack of 5v5 production has been an issue for a while, but when the PP fails to produce, it’s magnified.
The power play has gotten stale. Because the players appear rigid in gaining the zone, once the opponent basically jumps their route, they appear lost and unwilling to change. This was brought up by Ron Duguay and Steve Valiquette on the MSG Post-game show (video above). When New York, like any team, is able to gain the zone and set up, they are deadly. But as in years past, New York has struggled lately to gain the zone cleanly, creating difficulties in generating good chances. At times, the players have to deviate from the plan and take what the defense gives them. Dump and chase or chip and charge rather than carrying the puck in. That way, the penalty kill has another strategy to worry about and game plan for, rather than just what New York has a tendency to do.
Following the two games on the road, New York now plays four of five at MSG. Ottawa is in on Sunday and the Rangers need to end the losing streak now and get back to winning ways. Following the game against Ottawa, New York plays Carolina on the road and then comes home for contests against Detroit, Vancouver and Florida. All five games are winnable and another positive streak would go a long way to helping direction what direction this team will take during the second quarter of the season.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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