Jonny Lazarus and Matthew Mugno break down the Rangers regulation loss of the season.
The New York Rangers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-3 on Tuesday night. Takeaways from the too little, too late loss.
Jonny Lazarus: I feel like I've said it a ton lately, but these losses have just been so deflating. The Rangers had two separate occasions in the first period last night where they allowed two goals in a quick span. The little lapses have killed them in the games they fall short. Yes, Adam Fox alluded to it after the game that the team showed a ton of fight in the second period and put themselves back in a position to win a hockey game. That said, it feels like they've had to try and claw back in more games than not lately.
Matthew Mugno: Jonathan Quick's brilliant 25-save outing on Sunday and Blake Wheeler's two-goal game last night are a nice mile marker from July 1st. The Rangers bargain bin signings are contributing to low-risk high-reward contracts.
JL: Agreed with Matt. One positive to take away from last night was that Blake Wheeler's feet got going. Maybe that was a confidence boost he needs to really get churning here. Of course, he scored two goals so it's easy to say he had a pep in his step, but outside of those two tallies Wheeler made of ton of plays happen.
MM: Adam Fox is feeling healthy which is a major plus for the club. The rest of that story is HERE.
MM: It’s a bummer we didn’t see the best Igor Shesterkin against Auston Matthews. They are two of the league's superstars. Igor is the Rangers ace. It just hasn’t been that way for this stretch.
JL: It's difficult to wrap your finger on what's going on with Igor Shesterkin right now. Is he intimidated by how well Quick is playing and trying to overcompensate for that? He was emotional after last night's loss and didn't have much to say to the media, but what can the group do to help his mentality?
MM: Have to take health into account. Ryan Lindgren got lit up last night. Barclay Goodrow's situation was more gruesome than expected. K'Andre Miller is absent for personal reasons. Kaapo Kakko & Filip Chytil is on the LTIR. It's not an excuse, as the Rangers arguably played better without Adam Fox (winning 7 of 10 games without him). Rather than a justification for this loss, it's more of an observation of the cascading effects it has on the season. Two full months into this campaign the Rangers have scarcely been at full capacity.
JL: Alexis Lafreniere has now gone 10 straight games without a goal. When the team was buzzing, a lot of it had to do with the spark that Lafreniere was providing. Is he one of the most important heartbeats of this team? He's still been effective, but not as productive as he was earlier in the season. He's become a vital part of this team and they need him to find that consistency.
MM: Nick Bonino and Tyler Pitlick streaking in on breakaways is beyond encouraging for this team. The fourth line is arguably the team's most vital trio. More is needed from the Rangers core, but if it's a pivotal playoff game is anyone complaining about the fourth unit scoring a major goal? I don't think so. Class dismissed.
The New York Rangers take on the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden on Friday at 7:00 P.M (EST) and play the Boston Bruins on Saturday at 7:00 PM (EST).
MORE FROM THN: