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Rangers vs. Ducks: Tarred and Feathered

Rangers drop third game in a row in 6-3 loss to Anaheim Ducks.

  • The New York Rangers have now lost three games in a row and are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games played. I could go into more stats, but there’s no point. The Rangers are B-A-D bad, and not I am not referring to the 1987 album by the “King of Pop.”
  • It doesn’t matter that the team outshot the Ducks 44 to 31, because the majority of shots are a byproduct of score effects. In simpler terms, based on the score the Ducks eased up and the Rangers were able to pump shots without much resistance.
  • The Rangers tallied 28 shots during the final two period to the Ducks 23. Anaheim also only had eight shots in the first, but scored four goals, so that played a role in the final total as well.
  • The first period was a doozy with J.T. Brown getting the Ducks off to a quick 1-0 start. The Rangers answered back just over seven minutes later when Rick Nash scored on the power play to pick up his 14th goal of the season; Mats Zuccarello picked up his 27th assist and Pavel Buchnevich picked up his 18th./
  • The tie didn’t last though; two minutes and 13 seconds later Corey Perry scored on the power play to put Anaheim back ahead. That lead didn’t last long either, as once again Nash found the back of the net, this time responding 1:51 later./
  • Nash now has six goals in his last five games, and the only major difference in his play has been the fact that pucks are going in.
  • You may be noticing a theme, and it is going to continue. Only 1:07 later after Nash’s second goal, Andrew Cogliano gave the Ducks their third goal of the game, and that was the end of Henrik Lundqvist’s night.
  • In all honesty, this was a game that Lundqvist should have sat, because he could have used a full night off. He’s been on quite a tear of late and Ondrej Pavelec could use the work./
  • The Ducks added their fourth goal of the period while shorthanded, and it came 2:17 after Cogliano’s. The goal was scored after a turnover by J.T. Miller – and he ended up paying for it./
  • Miller sat the remainder of the game, finishing with only 4:55 of time on ice./
  • Before the game I tweeted out this graphic which looked at both team’s depth at center./
  • I understand Alain Vigneault wanting to hold Miller accountable for his mistake, but I only understand it to an extent. The Rangers spent the majority of the third period trailing 5-3, the Ducks scored thirty seconds into the period, and there were power play opportunities in which Miller could have been utilized.
  • A power-play goal would have theoretically made the score 5-4 and the Rangers would have been right back into the game. It would have made sense to deploy him there, because he’s been successful on the power play./
  • It was interesting to see MSG keep panning to Miller on the bench, and this GIF perfectly sums things up./
  • Talk about being in the “Chateau Bow Wow.”
  • Michael Grabner also scored for the Rangers. Grabner now has 21 goals in 48 games after scoring 27 in 76 games last season. He is bound to get a Benoit Pouliot contract, and he deserves it.
  • Mika Zibanejad made a magnificent play here, and credit on Grabner for finishing the play./
  • Pavelec stopped 21 of 23 shots he faced, allowing a goal on the power play and one while shorthanded. The Ducks’ sixth goal was an empty netter.
  • The Rangers head to San Jose for the final game of the road trip on Thursday and then head off to the All-Star break./

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