Stan Fischler US Hall Of Fame MSG If Hollywood made a movie about night's New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/news/new-york-rangers-erik-gustafsson-zac-jones-matthew-robertson] 2-1 loss in Tinseltown, it would be a melodrama called "Close But No Cigar." The Blueshirts get an "E" for Excellent Effort right down to the final second with their net empty, but -- in the end -- they came up empty for ex-King Jonathan Quick, returning to his old home NHL town. But a loss is a loss, just as it was in Vegas, and this is not what an elite Rangers team should be doing. This is especially so after Chris Kreider tallied his 21st goal at 14:39 of the second period to make it a 1-1 game. For the Visitors, it seemed to be a two-pointer within their grasp, especially with the New Number One Goalie, Jonathan Quick, there to foil the foe. The problem was The Quick One was foiled by his defense during a thundering-heard Kings rush that left the Jacob Trouba looking like star-gazers at a meme. Left-wing Quinton Byfield liked the looks of an appetizing rebound, and his mind said, "Thank you very much," and his stick put it past the very horizontal Mister Quick. As a matter of fact, Quickie was on his back when Kevin Fiala liked the looks of the open net after Kev's skate around. The fact is that we had a wonderful back-and-forth game even after Byfield's go-ahead red light. The rubber went in at 18:13 of the middle frame. That gave our Beloved Blueshirts a ton of time to tie this thriller. But the Kings third-string goalie, David Rittich, was one save better than Quick and that was the ball game. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNzg0NTA4MzY3OTcxOTAw/usatsi_22342251.jpg] Then again, maybe it shouldn't have been, based on the final moments. Consider these: 1. Trevor Moore high-sticked Adam Fox at 18:21. 2. The Rangers pulled Quick to eventually give them a four-on-six advantage. 3. Neither The Breadman nor any of his croissant bakers could put the donut where it belonged. Close, but no cigar. Now, don't go away, The Maven has a few key questions for you Rangers fans. These are important because we're talking about both the immediate future and the long term. Are you ready? A. Is Mika The Marvelous a true number one center? Or should Mister Z be traded for a real, no-kidding around the pivot of higher overall quality? Answer: Yes, Chris Drury. trade the likable lad while his value is now at its highest, and it ain't gonna get higher even though he assisted on the Kreider goal, as did Bagel Man Fox. B. Is the Blueshirt depth as solid as I've been raving about since training camp? Answer: Upon further review, I'll concede that I may be reading them wrong. For now, I'll say that I'm dubious -- You could say, "Please to meet you, Mister Dubious") -- about how solid they really are and leave it at that. Then again, upon further "upon further" review, it could be that The Maven is overreacting, something that does happen in January when it gets colder than cold. With that in mind, I'm stashing away my Ranger Anti-Slump aspirins and will revel in the fact that Our Heroes will be just fine. Check your schedule, and you'll see why. TOP STORIES
