Despite a brief spark in the third period, the Rangers efforts in Carolina were rather disappointing. The Rangers got off to a decent enough start, keeping pace with Carolina and then all of a sudden it was as if a switch flipped and the Rangers could not break the puck out, complete a pass let alone get a shot on net. There was close to a 15 minute window in the period where the only shot on net the Rangers got was essentially a dump in by Jacob Trouba in the final minute.
The hot topic of this game was Gallant's decision to start Alexandar Georgiev instead of Igor Shesterkin. The fact of the matter is yes, Shesterkin probably should've gotten the start against the better team in the back to back. Especially in a pretty significant matchup with the team giving us the best run for our money in our division. Did Alexandar Georgiev play well? Not really. I'm typically not one to break apart or blame the goalie but a couple of those goals shouldn't have happened. Vincent Trocheck's goal in the first was just a good deflection through traffic, not Georgiev's fault. Jesper Fast's one timer was a rocket through traffic that he didn't see, not his fault.
Seth Jarvis's goal in the first was one that maybe he shouldn't of had but his effort to make the save on that play just wasn't there. That's a play that Georgiev has to butterfly slide across the crease in attempt to make the save, instead he was still standing almost waiting to see where the pass was going before making a move. Sebastian Aho's goal in the second was one Georgiev probably should've had a grasp one, he made the initials saves but couldn't cover it which resulted in the goal. The Nino Niedereiter goal was the game in a nutshell. Svechnikov faked the Michigan behind the net and the Rangers suddenly forgot how to play defense. No one was covering Niedereitter in front, all the time in the world and again Georgiev wasn't able to make a save that he probably should've been able to.
Now is Georgiev the reason the Rangers lost this game? Absolutely not. The team played horrendously. Four shots on goal, which was being extremely generous, is simply not good enough by any means. Too many times throughout the night the Rangers couldn't complete a pass and were skating around like chickens with their heads cut off. That became even more evident when Gerard Gallant did something we haven't seen much of since the David Quinn days in panic changing the lines mid game. I use that term lightly in the sense that Gallant wasn't really panicking more so just desperate for something to work.
The most noticeable adjustment was Ryan Reaves hoping on the first line with Zibanjead and Kreider for quite a few shifts while Kaapo Kakko spent some good quality time on the bench, occasionally taking a skate with Rooney and McKegg. At this point in time, Gallant needs to put Kakko back on the line with Panarin and Strome where he has looked his best this season. Put Chytil on the right side of Zibanejad and Kreider, Keep Goodrow between Lafreniere and Gauthier/Hunt and run McKegg, Rooney, Reaves until McKegg's magic wears off, then lock Hunt back in on the fourth line.
The concern of Kakko and Lafreniere's development is certainly creeping back into the conversation however we have to remain patient. They're still kids who are still getting adjusted to the league in a world that hasn't been normal since 2019. The other main concern from this group is their ability to generate offense at 5v5. Two thirds of the Rangers goals last night came on the power play, the first being the perfect example of practice makes perfect with Zibanejad's one timer and the latter being classic Chris Kreider being an absolute menace at net front presence. The lone Rangers goal at 5v5 came in Greg McKegg's first of the season, shortly after Kreider's on the power play.
Those two goals created a spark for the Rangers but unfortunately, they wouldn't get anything else done. An Alexis Lafreniere slashing penalty with about three minutes to go killed any existent momentum and the Tony DeAngelo power play goal not only sealed the deal at 6-3 but rolled the eyes of Rangers fans everywhere. Also for any Rangers fans reading this and thinking "See, we should've kept Tony" or "We only traded him because of his personality" I got news for you. DeAngelo was like, the sixth best right handed shot defenseman in our organization and was not bought out for one reason. He was bought out for using all three of his strikes and that's not counting his strikeouts with other teams or his problems in juniors. Good for him that he's having success in Carolina, our team would not benefit from his presence on or off the ice period.
Rangers Game Day vs. Arizona Coyotes 1.22.22
Thankfully, the Rangers don't have to dwell on this loss for too long as they fly back home to host the Arizona Coyotes. The Rangers should win this game for many reasons but the win is more necessary following the disappointing loss the night before. Reaves mentioned in one of his pressers how the team has generally been good at bouncing back from losses this season and this will absolutely be a game they want to back that up with.
The Coyotes are 10-25-4, the second to worst team in the league. However, the Rangers need to not take them lightly as they've been known to surprise against good teams, most recently in their 2-1 win against the Leafs. One of the Coyotes 25 losses came earlier this season against the Rangers, in an effort that wasn't the Blueshirts strongest. The Rangers haven't had many good decisive wins this season, other than a 6-1 win against Chicago, a 5-2 win in Boston and a 4-0 win against the Blue Jackets. Given where the Rangers are, I would say they're due for one and there's no better time than tonight to get it done.
The tough part will be beating Arizona goaltender Karel Vejmelka who has had a handful of stellar performances this season. Therefore, four shots in the first period isn't going to cut it. The Rangers need to come out flying, get pucks deep, get pucks to the net. The Coyotes are also going into the second half of a back to back, coming off a 4-0 loss in Long Island, making them just as hungry for a better outing. Getting control of this game early will be essential and hopefully a good game from Shesterkin will help give the team the confidence to do so. I wouldn't necessarily expect any changes in the Rangers lineup unless Gallant gets drastic and scratches Kakko or Lafreniere to get Gauthier back in the mix. For the sake of the rumors and drama that would result from that, you have to hope the thought of doing so isn't entering his mind. Regardless, expect a better showing from the Rangers as it can't get much worse than it did last night. A bounce back win will be huge as in this final stretch before the all star break.
Chris Feldman
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