The Rangers, for the first time this season, have lost two in a row. Coming off an ugly 6-2 loss to Ottawa, three days off did little to help New York, as they were blanked for the first time this year, 4-0 in Washington yesterday. Ryan Lindgren's brother, Charlie, pitched the shutout. The Blueshirts are home tonight against the Kings, whoi come in having blown a 2-0 lead and falling 3-2 to the Isles last night.
Game recap:
Lindgren-Fox Miller-Trouba Gustafsson-Schneider
Shesterkin Quick
Scratches: Jones, Goodrow LTIR: Chytil, Kakko
A few thoughts: 1) Same refrain - I literally can just repeat what I wrote after Tuesday's loss here as the issues we saw there - and recently - were on repeat. Lack of defensive structure and getting out slow were both on full display. Add in a struggling netminder and #1 blueliner and you have the ingredients for a team hitting their first bump in the road.
Every team faces adversity. If there is a benefit, it's happening now and not before the playoffs. But New York needs to find a way to once again pick themselves up from their bootstraps and show the grit and resilience we have seen this season. Having a game tonight against a good team and one coming with a little chip on their shoulders will show what this squad really is. Can they get themselves back up and put together a strong effort.
Defensive weaknesses - you can argue most goals are scored due to a defensive breakdown. But most of the ones we saw last night were due to the same issues we have seen lately. Poor own zone play, assignments missed, layers wide open in the O-zone, odd-man rushes, etc. Very few defensive positives can be taken after watching the game and highlights last night. Teams adjust, the 1-3-1 trap effective earlier in the season is being strafed. Now, the coaches and players have to adjust and be a lot sharper, because if you are slightly off, you will get burned.
Slow starts - a goal in the first minute of the game after being pinned in your own zone is for sure a slow start. Then to allow another marker less than two minutes into the second and a goal off a stoppage in play shows an unprepared team. This is what we saw under Gerard Gallant, not how the season opened. If you want to be a contender, you need to find a way to fix these problems and fix them fast before they become overly pervasive.
2) Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox - both players don't look the same after returning from injury. Since returning from an undisclosed injury that cost him four games, before last night's game, Igor was 4-3-0 with a 3.17 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. In five of those seven games he has allowed at least three goals. Yesterday, four goals allowed on 29 shots and a loss didn't improve those numbers. The last two contests, nine goals surrendered, all at even strength. Shesterkin is being left out to dry by his defense, but he has not looked the same as he did earlier this season, making me concerned he is still nursing an injury. If not, New York has bigger issues to face.
Fox missed four weeks with a lower-body injury. He had three assists his first game back against Nashville and a marker each of his next two contests but Fox has not looked like his pre-injury self. Making it's just a matter of him re-finding his game or getting back to his prior self after not dealing previously with a major injury. But if Fox is not Fox, the Rangers scuffle, which is what we have seen lately and contributed to their current slump.