Rangers identify this one area as major problem after loss to Oilers
The New York Rangers have dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season after losing 3-2 to the Calgary Flames on Thursday and 6-2 to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Coach Peter Laviolette and multiple players pointed out one major issue that was exposed in a big way against Connor McDavid and the Oilers — defending the rush.
“We knew it, we talked about it,” Laviolette said postgame. “We talked about trying to stay above them and get above them. Sometimes we put ourselves in bad positions, sometimes we lost foot races, sometimes we turned the puck over, sometimes we fell down in the offensive zone and lost an edge. The rush just comes back at you quick.”
The Oilers’ rush certainly did come at New York quickly, especially with McDavid, the fastest player in the NHL, leading the charge. The 27-year-old, who recently became the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 NHL points, had two goals and an assist against the Rangers.
One of his assists came in a 2-on-1 rush that ended up on Leon Draisaitl’s stick for an Oilers goal, and his second goal, the Oilers’ sixth of the game, was off the rush as well.
“They’re dynamic off the rush,” Laviolette continued. “They have a ton of speed through the neutral zone, and we didn’t handle it well.”
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways after road trip ends with dud against Oilers
Rangers point to a lack of urgency after 6-2 blowout
McDavid wasn’t the only one who made an impact off the rush against the Rangers. The game was scoreless when the Oilers had a 3-on-2 rush late in the first period, and Vasily Podkolzin made no mistake — scoring his first goal of the season by blasting a shot past Jonathan Quick.
Rush chances against have been a common problem for the Rangers, but their problems coping were seriously exposed on Saturday — and the players know it.
“Obviously when you’re down, you’re pressing a little bit more and that going to lead to rushes, but I think we were just on our heels,” said defenseman Adam Fox. “We let them take the game to us. If you’re letting up 20 shots and only getting five or six in the first period, you’re obviously sitting back and letting them dictate the game.”
If the Rangers want to remain competitive against some of the better teams in the league, they’ll need to find a way to limit rush opportunities, especially when a player like McDavid is on the ice.
It was evident on Saturday, even in plays that did not result in goals, that defending the rush is a major flaw.
“They were good off the rush,” center Vincent Trocheck said. “Obviously they’re fast, they’re a very skilled team. I felt like we just gave them way too much space, and we need to have more urgency. I think that’s the moral of the story, urgency.”
Perhaps it was the grind of a long road trip, the longest for New York thus far in 2024-25. After solid efforts in wins against the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks, the Rangers had lackluster performances in Calgary and Edmonton.
In the first two games, the Rangers had jump, executed, and played with urgency. In the latter two, they were outplayed heavily in the first period and spent too much time chasing the game after falling behind. As Trocheck mentioned, there was no urgency.
The Rangers are heading home with some serious issues to clean up as they prepare to play four games in six days. They’ll have a chance to rebound from the losses in Alberta when they host the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
The Blues are 9-12-1 after a 3-1 road loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, putting them 25th in the overall standings. It will be their first game under new coach Jim Montgomery, who was hired Sunday to replace Drew Bannister after being fired by the Boston Bruins five days earlier.
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