Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/081c895e-7b13-411b-a5dc-31845e3ce082.jpeg] Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The New York Rangers couldn’t salvage an opportunity to gain ground in the playoff picture as they lost 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. Through the first 20 minutes of play, the Kings dominated possession time and the Rangers only recorded two shots, but the score remained 0-0. J.T. Miller opened up the scoring in the second period to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately for the Blueshirts, they did not take advantage of that lead. The Rangers committed three penalties in the second frame, resulting in two goals for Los Angeles. The Kings won the special teams battle and that’s what ultimately led to the Rangers’ downfall. Igor Shesterkin displayed yet another valiant effort, recording 30 saves on 32 shots, which is why his teammates feel like they let him down in a way. “He was spectacular, kept us in the game,” Vincent Trocheck said of Shesterkin. “It almost goes unappreciated since you almost expect every night out of him, but he’s obviously a world-class goalie and shows it night in and night out.” The Rangers feel like they did enough to win the game. However, there’s a sense of frustration with the losses continuing to pile up, especially at this point of the year when every point is critical. “It gets tiring because I feel like over the last few weeks we’ve been playing some good hockey, but we are still losing,” Mika Zibanejad said. “Find a way to lose. It’s hard to look at the positives.” The Rangers will be back in action on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
