Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7f688fb6-dcd7-4e19-8cbd-7287be4f8b86.jpeg] Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Scoring or lack thereof continues to be the biggest storyline surrounding the New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/]. On Saturday night, the Rangers lost 2-0 to the New York Islanders, getting shutout for a league-leading eighth time. Anders Lee scored less than one minute into the contest, which ultimately served as the game-winning goal. For the most part, the game was relatively evenly matched with the Rangers holding a slight 27-26 edge in shots on net. It wasn’t that the Rangers weren’t generating chances, that has never been an issue. However, the Blueshirts’ offense was predictable and stale, failing to sustain fluidity. Chances are simply not enough. It wasn’t too long ago when Sullivan proclaimed the team’s scoring woes as “concerning” and these problems appear to be a major mental block for the players. “It's frustrating,” Panarin said of the Rangers’ scoring struggles. “We're doing that over and over this year. I don’t know. We gotta fix everything.” Where do these issues stem from? Mike Sullivan believes part of it has to do with a lack of net-front presence and tendencies to stick to the perimeter in the offensive zone. “I think sometimes when we get sustained offensive zone time, we got to be careful we don't spend it on the perimeter of the rink,” Sullivan said. “It's important that we get people inside… We need more people inside so that when we do ultimately get pucks there, we've got numbers to compete on pucks and create off the broken play or create off the shot. “I think the motion and the movement has been pretty good. Sometimes, the motion and the movement gets good to us, and then we don't get inside with enough people. When that happens, I don't think we get as much to show for it as the time that we spend there.” That’s certainly part of the equation, but it has become abundantly clear that the Rangers simply don’t have enough offensive firepower or scoring depth, and that is especially evident without both J.T. Miller and Adam Fox. While the Rangers’ penalty kill went 5-5 on the night, the power play went 0-4, as they continue to struggle on the man advantage. Late in the third period, the Rangers were awarded two power plays and they couldn’t cash in on any of them. Mike Sullivan Feels Rangers Are At Their Best With Will Cuylle Playing On Third Line [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c40e6786-6bdb-4bf4-8b78-82d1642dfe84.jpeg] Mike Sullivan Feels Rangers Are At Their Best With Will Cuylle Playing On Third Line Despite J.T. Miller being out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, Mike Sullivan wants to continue to utilize Will Cuylle on the third line. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/latest-news/mike-sullivan-feels-rangers-are-at-their-best-with-will-cuylle-playing-on-third-line] “I think I would have liked to have seen us have more quality execution,” Sullivan said of the power play. “I think when you get those types of opportunities late in the game, that should be a real opportunity to be a difference maker in the game. I would have liked to have seen us execute better, be more crisp, make better decisions. I just didn't think we were as clean or as sharp or as crisp as I know they're capable of. From that standpoint that was a missed opportunity.” The Rangers couldn’t carry on the momentum from their seven-goal game against the Washington Capitals just a few days ago. Whenever the Blueshirts seem to turn the page on some of their biggest problems, everything comes crashing down and they fall back down to earth, facing down the same issues. We are nearly halfway through the regular season, and the Rangers’ inability to consistently score goals has been a common theme that just doesn't seem to go away, and in all likelihood won’t go away.
