The New York Rangers 6-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night was yet another wasted opportunity to gain ground on a playoff spot.
Not even the return of New York Rangers rookie goaltender Igor Shesterkin could save the team from the 6-4 trap game loss to the rival New Jersey Devils Saturday night.
Shesterkin made his first appearance for the Blueshirts following his car accident nearly two weeks ago. The fractured rib he suffered didn’t cause him any issues during the game.
“I felt good, but I wasn’t able to help the team win. I’m not feeling good about that. “I felt good. It was just hard to get back into the game,” Shesterkin told Lohud.com’s Vince A. Mercogliano.
The Rangers as a whole seemed to struggle to find their game on Saturday. The night started out well with the team taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission on goals by Filip Chytil (14) and Mika Zibanejad (39).
But a dismal second period saw the Devils tally four goals to take an insurmountable lead.
“I thought it was too soft,” Zibanejad said. “We made it really easy for them and we just didn’t have an answer. We dug ourselves a hole. Going forward, with the playoff-type of games we have in front of us, we just can’t do that. It was just a bad performance overall.”
The loss prevented the Rangers from moving within one point of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Earlier on Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 in overtime. In Edmonton, the Oilers took down the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 despite being outshot 46-24.
The Rangers now head off for a three-game road trip beginning with back-to-back contests in Dallas on Tuesday night and Colorado on Wednesday evening. The team will then have two off days until their next game Saturday in Arizona.
With only 14 games remaining this season, the club will need to dig deep if they want a shot at the Stanley Cup Playoffs which will begin in April.
Coronavirus Changing Media Relations with Teams.
Per Elliotte Friedman of TSN, the NHL will close dressing rooms to media, on the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control, in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. NBA, MLB, and MLS are expected to follow. Media availabilities will be conducted in the press conference area.
Following Saturday’s game, the Rangers had Shesterkin, Zibanejad, and defenseman Marc Staal available for questions.
