Takeaways From The Rangers 4-0 Loss To The Capitals

What do odd-man rushes, Tom Wilson, and adversity have to do with the Rangers back-to-back losses?

Charlie Lindgren (Ryan's older brother) posted a 27-save shutout to secure a 4-0 win for the Capitals over the Rangers on Saturday.

 Sonny Milano scored 43 seconds into the contest, and Anthony Mantha, Tom Wilson, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel all scored in the second period to extend the lead. Here are some takeaways from the contest:

Shades of May: Steve Valiquette opened the MSG post-game show by stating the Rangers allowed 14 goals in the series against the Devils, 7 of those off the rush. Tonight felt the same as game 7. Lifeless, olay on rush defense, and limited offense. 

Odd-Man Rushes: The New York Rangers have an odd-man rush problem. It was on full display when K'Andre Miller swooped low to make an offensive zone play and allowed Tom Wilson to capitalize on a 2-on-1. It has been an issue in the Ranger's last four games. 

Tom Wilson: Speaking of Wilson, no urgency to cover him or get a body on him? 

Adversity: The Rangers lost their first back-to-back games of the season and were shut out for the first time since May 1st. They require a massive response tomorrow against an L. A Kings team that is undefeated on the road. To start the year they battled through several injuries. The next challenge will be locking things down on defense. They are better off facing adversity in December and having ample time to work on a playoff-caliber 60 minutes now. 

Structure: The team has a lot of time to replicate how they started the season in terms of their structure and identity. The alarming aspect is that this game was almost a carbon copy of their final game last season. The system is supposed to allow the Rangers to rely on it when they need to bounce back and respond. Tonight, the team's line of regression was shockingly the same as last season. 

Patrick Kane: The latest addition to the Detroit Red Wings scored against the Ottawa Senators for his first with the new club. It's not a takeaway from this game, but worth the note.