Rangers Drop Another Road Game, This Time In Montreal

Zak Chiger Dec 1, 2018

Following Thursday night’s loss in Ottawa, the Rangers needed to come out with a strong performance to get back on track. Unfortunately, that was not the case as the Blueshirts fell to the Canadiens 5-2 in a game that wasn’t much of a contest from start to finish.

Jimmy Vesey – Perhaps the best Rangers skater in this one was the Harvard alumnus as Vesey recorded a goal and an assist to help bring the Blueshirts back to within a pair in the second period. With the game being played 4v4 following penalties to Lias Andersson and Max Domi, Vesey and Brendan Smith worked a give-and-go to get the Rangers on the scoreboard. Vesey has played well this season and is starting to gain some confidence after scoring his ninth of the season.

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Ryan Strome – Since being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers, Ryan Strome has produced for the Blueshirts. And that production continued tonight as Strome got the Rangers second, and final, goal of the night. Strome was the recipient of a Jimmy Vesey pass with the Rangers on the PP as Strome beat Carey Price over the blocker. Strome now has four points (2G, 2A) since coming to New York, and he has been a bright spot in the Rangers lineup in that time.

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Brady Skjei – If Jimmy Vesey was the best Rangers skater tonight, Brady Skjei was one of the worst. Skjei had two giveaways, was a -2, and stopped skating to argue a call in the dying seconds of the first which resulted in Shea Weber’s second goal of the opening period. When the Rangers re-signed Skjei in the offseason to a big contract, they were not expecting so much inconsistency from the 24-year-old. Perhaps another trip to the “Quinn Bin” is in order for young Brady.

Shots Anyone? – It has been well documented that the Rangers have players that are unselfish to a fault. Kevin Hayes passed up a few opportunities to get the puck to the net, as he seems to do every game, including this sequence when he had 20 feet to skate into and decided to make a cross-ice pass instead. Hayes was not the only one to pass up shots, but he is one of the most reluctant Rangers when it comes to firing pucks toward the opposing netminder.

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But moving beyond Hayes for a second, the Rangers only had 22 shots in the game, and just five, that’s right, five, in the third period while in need of a comeback. If the Rangers want to start winning games that they are trailing, they need to find ways to get more than a literal handful of shots when they need goals. The Rangers have struggled mightily on the road this season, as they’ve gone 3-8-2 away from Madison Square Garden. And that has less of a chance at changing unless they start shooting pucks instead of looking to make the extra pass.

Next Game: The Rangers are back in action tomorrow night at MSG as they will retire Vic Hadfield’s #11 prior to their matchup with the Winnipeg Jets. Ceremony at 4:30. Puck drops at 6!

LETS GO RANGERS!!