Sign in Subscribe
Front Page

Recaps: Sluggish Rangers Fall to Canadiens, 2-1

The Rangers point streak ends at seven.

After an emotional win, come from behind victory in their last game, the Rangers followed it up with a total dud against the lowly Montreal Canadiens. They lost 2-1 against a team that doesn’t even want to win games this season. Everybody loses!

The Rangers played a very sloppy first period, giving up too many chances on the rush. However, Igor Shesterkin was on top of his game, allowing the Rangers to escape the first period with a scoreless tie.

The problems with the rush persisted, which eventually led to the Canadiens’ first goal. Jacob Trouba found himself carrying the puck on a shorthanded two-on-one, and fired a wrister that went wide of the net around the boards, leading to a three-on-two the other way. Christian Dvorak hit Kirby Dach with a cross-ice pass, and the young center made no mistake with his shot.

Late in the period, the Rangers answered with what would be their only goal in the game. A delayed Montreal penalty allowed the Rangers to empty their net, and scored on the six-on-five. Filip Chytil took a shot from the right circle that Sam Montembeault deflected into the corner. Artemi Panarin recovered the puck, carried it to the same spot as Chytil’s shot, and found twine to tie the game at one. K’Andre Miller was credited with the secondary assist, extending his point streak to six.

The Canadiens scored the game winning goal halfway through the third period. Miller lost the puck in the offensive zone, leading to a counter attack by Canadiens. Though he got back admirably, he lost the puck again on a tough bounce below his goalline, allowing Nick Suzuki to recover and hit Cole Caufield in front of the crease. The Rangers wracked up shots against Montembeault, but could not solve him in the final ten minutes of the game.

The Rangers came out ahead in xG, but they looked sluggish, especially considering their opponent. There was a flu-like bug going around the locker room, which could account for something, but it stings any time a team with serious playoff aspirations leaves easy points on the table. Both goalies played well, so credit where it’s due.

They’ll be right back at it tomorrow night against another weak team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Read next