Rangers Fall to Sens in Double OT
Where do I even begin? This game was … something else. It wasn’t that they were fantastic, or that they were bad, or even fantastically bad, they were a little bit of both. Being bad at the wrong times is what led to their double OT loss. Let’s break it down by period — as much as I don’t want to relive it.
Disjointed First Period PlayingÂ
The first period wasn’t as horrible as the announcers made it out to be. Yes, there was some sloppy play, but it didn’t define the entire period. The Rangers did manage to hit the scoreboard first on Michael Grabner’s goal. It started with a breakaway thanks to Jesper Fast, appropriately deemed Quickie by the team, and ended with a shorthanded 2-on-1 play with Grabner, who was able to put it past Anderson for the first goal of the game. Ensue celebration!
See it again: The #Blueshirts score on a Grabner SHG off a great feed from Fast! https://t.co/MKiuOonthD
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 29, 2017
Oh, but wait! Ottawa showed up to play too, and answered Grabner’s goal with one by JG Pageau. What happened there? Well, Girardi went to pass to McDonagh who wasn’t there (one reason why I hate no-look passes), and turned it over. Whoops. Tie game and this is how the first period ends.
Dedicated Second Period Showing
The second period was the Rangers’ best by far, which isn’t surprising because it’s how they’ve been pretty much all season. Even better, two missing players showed up! Thank you Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider, we’ve been sorely missing you two.
Kreider took a quick break from his passing game (thank you!) and shot it at Anderson for a 2-1 score. Derek Stepan came in with the second (!!) short-handed goal of the night to make the game 3-1. Mark Methot was able to gain one back to make it 3-2, but then came Skjei to the rescue with goal number four.
👀 all 3 #Blueshirts goals from the 2nd period right here! 🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/geUn8LWlgc
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 29, 2017
We All Fall Down – Third Period
This is where things got really hairy… and not in a good way. Mark Stone, at 1:28 into the period scored to put Ottawa down 4-3. With plenty of time left to go, Skjei made a beautiful 3-on-1 save and took the puck back to score and make it 5-3.
https://twitter.com/hayyyshayyy/status/858453041808375808
That was the last time the Rangers would score. All they had to do was maintain the lead… and we all know how that ended.
Turnover Haven
Turnovers on the blue line, turnovers in the neutral zone, turnovers everywhere! I’m sick of them to be honest and the worst offender tonight, by far, was JT Miller. Can someone glue his butt to the bench? Hell, throw Tanner Glass back in, because Miller’s getting too much playing time and I’m getting tired of cursing him out. *insert sarcasm here*
It’s Not All Bad, and It Ain’t Over Folks
Having said all this, there were good points in the game. Fast continued to do what he does best, working along the boards and in the corners to make plays happen that otherwise wouldn’t. Smith and McDonagh, and we can’t forget Skjei, give us hope that the defense is on the right track. Yes, Hank lost a bit of his shine, but lets be honest, stopping deflections (goals 4 and 5) isn’t as easy as a one-off shot; a bit more defensive coverage could’ve prevented those. I’d like to see him tighten up on Tuesday, and get the win at home.
.. And before I sign off, here’s a great example of instant Karma …
https://twitter.com/hayyyshayyy/status/858429064343846919
Game 3 at MSG on Tuesday, May 2nd. Will be watching and I still have faith this team can turn it around. They go down 3-0, I’ll down a few more glasses of wine. but this is certainly a wake-up call if ever there was one.
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