3 Rangers takeaways after Garden party becomes nightmare against Stars
In their current 6-16-1 run to oblivion, the New York Rangers have more often than not been an uncompetitive team that showed little pulse as the defeats piled up. It was a different story Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, which makes their 5-4 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars perhaps their most painful of the season.
The Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 lead 11:24 into the game. The Garden was rocking. Alexis Lafreniere scored his first two goals in 14 games, one off the rush and the other on an exciting breakaway. Vincent Trocheck went to the net after a long gritty shift and deflected a Will Borgen shot into the net. Three goals on five shots. Artemi Panarin assisted on each score. Jonathan Quick made some terrific early saves bidding for his 400th NHL win. The Rangers bench was alive.
Then it all caved in.
The Stars scored a lucky goal off Urho Vaakanainen’s stick on a back check. They added another on the power play. It was 3-2 before the first intermission arrived, the Garden was filled with 18,000 nervous fans and the Rangers were being run out of their own building despite holding the lead.
Their xGF was 0.33 in the first period, per Natural Stat Trick, even though the Rangers held the lead. They steadied themselves some in the second period, but were out-chanced 14-6 at 5v5 and allowed Jason Robertson to tie the game.
The Rangers played their best in the third period and Trocheck’s power-play deflection after a well-timed timeout by coach Peter Laviolette put the Rangers up 4-3 with 7:04 to play. But a K’Andre Miller turnover led to Thomas Harley’s game-tying goal at 17:21.
Panarin’s hooking penalty 25 seconds into overtime then set the Stars up to win the game, when Jamie Benn was alone in front to tip home a Robertson centering feed and that was that. A brutal 5-4 overtime loss. A loser’s point gained in the standings. But likely their most gut-wrenching loss of the season at a time when they’ve improved many facets of their game and been an improved team.
The latest loss leaves the Rangers six points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets — yes, the Columbus Blue Jackets — for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have six teams between them and that final playoff spot in the East as they upon the midway point of the season.
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3 takeaways from Rangers 5-4 overtime loss to Stars
Here are three takeaways from the game Tuesday.
1. Concern for Filip Chytil
To make matters worse Tuesday, Filip Chytil didn’t play in the third period because of an upper-body injury. Laviolette said postgame that the 25-year-old center was being evaluated. So, of course, the speculation is that Chytil may have sustained another head injury. That is the default with him considering his history, though the hope is that is not the case here.
Chytil already missed seven games earlier in the season after a collision with Miller, though the team explained it was not a concussion. Perhaps, this is a reoccurrence of that same injury, or something different. But the first worry is about his head.
This latest injury comes when Chytil picked up his game considerably. He had a season-long four-game point streak, that included four goals, before Tuesday night. He looked confident, healthy and was a difference maker. Now we wait for the latest health update, which could come as early as Wednesday when the Rangers practice in Westchester.
2. Out-Foxed
It’s not often Adam Fox gets singled out in a negative way. His skill and effort are so rarely in question. And neither was an issue Tuesday. But it was not a good night for the Rangers top defenseman.
Fox generated nothing 5v5, when the Rangers were out-chanced 12-6 and had an XGF of 0.39 with him on the ice. He did have a power-play assist on Trocheck’s go-ahead goal in the third period, blocked a couple shots. But he managed one shot on goal and had three shot attempts overall.
Then on the game-winning goal, Fox was shoved away by Benn right in front of Quick. Fox stumbled to regain his footing and then was late to get back. Benn was all alone to tip in Robertson’s pass to seal Dallas’ night of comebacks. It simply can’t happen, but it did. And another Rangers loss was in the books.
3. Vincent Trocheck line erupts
It was really good to see the entire Vincent Trocheck line break out together Tuesday. Lafreniere had six shots on goal and scored twice, ending a schneid that extended one month. His breakaway goal was a thing of beauty, including the feathered feed from Panarin.
Trocheck had his third three-point game of the season with two goals and an assist. He’s scored three goals in the past two games, each on a deflection in front of the goalie. He’s got nine points in his past nine games and 15 (seven goals, eight assists) in 16. He blamed himself for not picking up Harley on the late game-tying goal because he’s an accountable leader. He wouldn’t publicly accept that Miller’s giveaway on the play was the root of the problem.
Panarin had three assists but can’t quite get his shot on net often enough like last season, when he scored an NHL career-high 49 goals. The Breadman has some really good looks, but misfired several times. The passing, though? That remains elite.
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