The Rangers return home to take on a dangerous Flames team.
On Monday, the New York Rangers hosted the Calgary Flames, their toughest game in over a week. The Rangers are on a four-game winning streak and just swept their road trip.
The Flames have played two fewer games than the Rangers, but are also in pretty great shape. The Rangers would have to be on their toes against this high-scoring offense.
The good news for the Rangers is that Ryan Strome would rejoin the team after missing a week. He would reunite with Artemiy Panarin on the second line and the hope is that he would get the Breadman going.
1st period: Hoping the Ryans are ok
The first period was marked by some injury scares for the Rangers. Over five minutes in, Ryan Reaves departed to the locker room, visibly in pain. A few minutes later, Ryan Lindgren joined him. The good news is that he returned late in the period.
Panarin had a great chance on a breakaway, but couldn’t convert.
A four-on-four late in the period led to a Calgary goal. Igor Shesterkin, who had made some incredible saves as usual to start the game, allowed a goal that he should have had.
2nd period: So. Many. Turnovers.
The Rangers committed several turnovers in the first and, evidently, that wasn’t a problem they were able to properly address during intermission. An awful giveaway by Patrik Nemeth in his own zone allowed the Flames to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
Reaves returned to the bench, but didn’t get any time on the ice this period.
The Rangers were awarded their first power play of the game, but the Rangers continue to struggle on the man-advantage.
Panarin had one of his best shifts of the season about halfway through the second. That was the team’s most dominant period of play and it was a shame that they hadn’t had a shift like it up to that point.
The Rangers were forced to the penalty kill towards the end of the period and continue to look incredibly strong while short-handed. They killed it off successfully while getting some scoring attempts themselves.
Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom, who was having a strong game, made more than one series of great saves at the end of the period to keep the Rangers scoreless.
The Rangers, who had a whopping 12 giveaways through two periods, would have to clean up that part of their game if they hope to come back in the third.
3rd period: Worst loss of the season
Everything fell apart for the Rangers in the third. Dryden Hunt got the team on the board and within one with his first goal as a Ranger, but the Flames had easy answers.
They followed up the Rangers’ goal with three more of their own, sealing the deal with plenty of time left.
This was the Rangers’ worst game of the season. They looked sluggish throughout most of the contest and too many players up and down the lineup were bad. Strome looking as fantastic as he did in his first game back was probably the lone bright spot.
This game was further confirmation that the Nemeth-Lundkvist pairing isn’t working. They even gave up another goal, this time on penalty kill, with fewer than five seconds left.
Key Moment: Calgary goal #2
Calgary’s second goal was the key moment of the game, one the Rangers couldn’t come back from. The Rangers weren’t able to score more than one and that goal embodied the game, as a whole.
It was a result of a turnover, of which the Rangers committed far too many, and one committed by Nemeth, who’s been pretty dreadful.
Player of the game: K’Andre Miller
Miller has gotten better with each game and showed it today. He assisted the team’s only goal and had a strong game in his own zone when most of his teammates struggled defensively. It’s important that he maintains this play moving forward.
