Rangers Vs. Islanders: Was That A Rerun Of The Last Loss?

- As the headline suggests, that game looked like someone taped the 1/13 loss to the Islanders, popped it into the DVD player and played it like it was a live game. Same problems, same lack of finish and pretty much the exact same result.

- The Rangers very simply did not get the job done. Was Jaroslav Halak brilliant? Yes. But I would argue that Henrik Lundqvist was even better, making 16 saves in the first period alone. He was outstanding, and in a situation like that, the offense needs to bail out the goaltender. It's just the way it works when you're playing another good team.

- I joked about this on Twitter, but seriously, what was the plan on the first two power plays? Here's what I could tell the plan was:

Step 1) Move the puck down low to Derek Stepan or Martin St. Louis.
Step 2) Try to pass the puck blindly through the slot, resulting in an easy clearance or the puck to be deflected.
Step 3) If you somehow still have the puck after Step 2, pass it to Dan Boyle at the top.
Step 4) Fake like three shots then repeat Step 1.

Predictable. Just like the end result of the power play: No goal.

- Another horrific game from Ryan McDonagh against the Islanders. Dan Girardi wasn't much better. Matt Hunwick might find himself sitting for John Moore on Thursday. What I'm trying to say is the Rangers defense wasn't very good, and that cost them.

- The first power play was an opportunity for the Rangers to get back into the game, and they failed. When a goalie is hot like Halak was the Rangers go into this fancy mindset where they need to create the perfect goal (think the Islanders first goal last night). Nine times out of 10 all this does is ruin golden opportunities with ill-conceived passes. Mats Zuccarello is the biggest culprit here. He needs to start shooting the puck. Especially when he's in the slot and all alone.

- The Chris Kreider penalty. Really? It's a reputation call and it's going to keep happening, but where is Kreider supposed to go there? Magically vault over the goalie? Nick brought up a good point: Kreider is too fast. He's so fast that all a defenseman can do is push Kreider with his momentum, which is moving towards the goalie. That's exactly what happened last night -- although that didn't stop Islanders fans from screaming bloody murder like they were from Montreal.

- I love people who dismiss corsi and fenwick, but then lament about how the Rangers need more shots. It's adorable.

- Something else that's adorable? People who talk about how good the Islanders fourth line was, realize the Rangers didn't have the puck at all last night and still want J.T. Miller to sit in favor of you know who.

- Last snarky note: Aren't those the games Tanner Glass is supposed to magically rejuvenate the Rangers with a fight or a big hit?

- I think Glass was actually playing because Lee Stempniak was sick. Which is OK. Not ideal (especially with Oscar Lindberg tearing up the AHL of late), but OK. If everyone is healthy Thursday and he's still in the lineup, however ... let's burn that bridge if we get there, actually.

- The Islanders have the Rangers' number, plain and simple. Whatever. My guess at this point is you really don't want to win the division anyway because you're going to have to run through the Boston Bruins. However, if the Rangers are to get back to the Stanley Cup you need to go through the best, so, uh, beating the Islanders at some point would be nice.

- At least the Rangers scored a goal this time, right?

Thoughts?