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Game 57: NYI 4 NYR 2, Rangers fall again in their latest House of Horrors |
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The Rangers fell 4-2 to the Islanders on Thursday in their latest House of Horrors. Since the Islanders have moved to the Barclays Center, the Blueshirts are 0-3-1 in Brooklyn. In fact, the Rangers have lost four of five to the Islanders and 1-5-1 in their last seven and 3-8-1 in the past four years against their now boro rivals. The loss ended a six game win streak and the Rangers next face the Capitals in a Sunday matinee at MSG followed by Montreal at home Tuesday.
Six in a row, nine of 11. Read that again. Six in a row, nine of 11. That's what the Blueshirts record was coming into the game. Now chill. The Rangers didn't play a particularly good game, headed by several who didn't show up, while the Islanders were the more desperate and aggressive team. But can we hold off the panic? Every loss is not a sign that major changes are needed or one that certain individuals need to be shipped out of town. I agree Derek Stepan hasn't lived up to his $6.5 million salary lately, especially after missing the open net to tie the game and then seeing the Islanders come back to get the killer shorthanded goal. But he also is the player that is a proven playoff performer and scored the Game 7 overtime goal against the Capitals. But the blog is like a Rorschach's Test seeing the wide swings during the game. Just chill a little bit.
After taking a pair of penalties to open the game, Nick Holden scored the game’s first goal to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead 6:23 into the game. Shortly after exiting the penalty box, two Islanders collided which allowed Brady Skjei to make a long outlet pass to Mats Zuccarello, who delivered a great pass to Holden for his ninth goal of the season. The Rangers had a pretty solid period overall and headed to the first intermission with the lead.
That lead didn't last long, as the Islanders carried play starting the second frame and weee rewarded just 2:43 in. Oscar Lindberg lost Anders Lee in the defensive zone as he tied the game at one. Bad coverage all the way around, as Adam Clendening went to the corner on Tavares. Skjei went to block Josh Bailey's shot, leaving Lee wide open after Jesper Fast was caught closer to Bailey. Henrik Lundqvist had cheated over to Bailey and couldn't get back over to the other side of the net to stop Lee.
The Islanders grabbed a 2-1 lead as Marc Staal was hesitant in playing the puck then turned it over when checked by Stephen Gionta behind the net. Gionta quickly retrieved the puck and found Andrew Ladd wide open in front to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. That play was all on Staal, who had a pretty poor game overall and has yet to really find his form since coming back from injury.
Now for the back breaker. Down 2-1, the Rangers got a double-minor on Bailey for high-sticking late in the second and carried a 3:52 power play into the third. After doing nothing for the first power play, Stepan missed the open net to tie the game and the Islanders took a 3-1 lead on a shorthanded goal. John Tavares and Nikolai Kulemin, who rallied the goal, outworked and out hustled the following five Rangers on the ice, Miller-Hayes-Kreider-McDonagh-Zibanejad.
Jimmy Vesey scored a power play goal on that man advantage to make it 3-2; a goal that was reviewed after Rick Nash was pushed by Johnny Boychuk into Thomas Greiss, but that basically was all she wrote. Andrew Ladd scored an empty netter with 1:10 to make the final 4-2. Larry Brooks wrote what I was thinking as to why AV pulled Lundqvist with 1:23 left rather than waiting a bit to make sure the Rangers gained the blue line and had possession in the offensive zone. On that play, Ryan McDonagh inexplicably didn't press Ladd, backing up, thereby giving him enough space and time to score into the empty net.
A few thoughts:
- Kreider and Zibanejad didn't have a good game, struggling to generate anything offensively. In fact, Zib has just six points in 13 games since coming back from his broken fibula that cost him two months. Maybe it's just a matter of him settling back in or regaining his form, but Zib looks like a shell of the player that started the year. It looks like he is thinking rather than reacting and is a half-beat slow in making a play or decision. Hopefully, that resolves itself as the season wears on and he gets more ice time t work out the kinks.
- Vesey and Nash were the Rangers best two forwards on the night. The third line didn't do much. The first line similar. The fourth line was on the ice for Lee's tying goal and weren't difference makers. Hard to win when only one line shows up
- Defensively, the Blueshirts weren't great. Skjei was probably the best of the bunch followed by Dan Girardi, who had a solid game. The Captain was horrible all game, same with Staal. Clendening wasn't horrible but was lost on Ladd's first goal of the game.
- the power play was powerless again. The Rangers did get the Vesey goal, but it was their only tally in 7:55 of power play time. AV changed up the units slightly to start the game but the Rangers still continue to struggle with gaining the blue line and setting up in the offensive zone. That problem is repetitive, as we have seen it all too often the past several years. Leave Skjei on the PP as his passing ability and shot from the point warrant those spots. But it may be time to mix it up again to find combinations that work.
- Brooks yesterday broached a trade for Alexandre Burrows. As I tweeted, I want to be in the locker room when he and McDoanagh first see each other. But, if New York was able to welcome in Dan Carrillo, the same would happen with Burrows. He would provide an edge, no doubt, but I would be concerned about him going over it, as he has done too often in the past. Plus, no way would I deal Oscar Lindberg, let alone Lindberg and a pick for him. Maybe if cheaper and no other options pan out, but he wouldn't be the first player on the list to acquire.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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