In the Rangers ninth back to back stretch of the season, still with three more to go, the Blueshirts come up winless against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vancouver Canucks. This would be the first meeting of the season between the Rangers and the Penguins as well as the final meeting with the Vancouver Canucks. There's lots to break down after these two, very different from each other games, as the Rangers prepare for the final stretch, having only 29 games remaining in regular season.
Rangers Fall to Pittsburgh 1-0 in Playoff Type Atmosphere
Despite falling short to the Penguins, courtesy of a third period power play goal from Evgeny Malkin, the Rangers played a strong, full sixty. This was one of the few games thus far this season that truly had that playoff hockey feel to it and the Rangers were up to the challenge. They played hard and showed they can skate with an experienced team like Pittsburgh, outshooting them 27-26 and even beating them in face-offs. This game quickly became a goalie game and although Igor Shesterkin was at his best, his teammates just couldn't crack Tristan Jarry which resulted in the Rangers second scoreless outing of the season, their first since running into Jusse Saros of the Nashville Predators back in December.
Along with the playoff atmosphere came a lot of post whistle scrums and chippy play that left the teams battling all night, setting the tone for three matchups between the two that lie ahead this season. Each will undoubtedly carry more tenacity than the one before the closer the teams get to the end of the season and the playoffs. There's no question the Rangers will be reminded of this tough loss the next time they take on the Penguins, as they will look to even up the series season at the end of March.
Lackluster Showing Results in 5-2 Loss to Canucks
The Rangers hosted the Vancouver Canucks on the back half of their back to back and in the latter part of a Madison Square Garden back to back as the Knicks had played that afternoon. The Rangers got off to a strong start, winning the first six face-offs of the game, generating offense and outshooting the Canucks in the first period. However, they would once again run into a hot goalie as Thatcher Demko was stopping everything the Rangers had. The momentum quickly faded when Tanner Pearson got Vancouver on the board just over three minutes in.
Demko continued to silence the Rangers through two power play opportunities and just 17 seconds after the second man advantage came to an end, Tyler Myers, who's half brother apparently plays for the Knicks (who knew), scored his first of the season to put Vancouver up 2-0. We'll get into Alexandar Georgiev a little more towards the end of this post but this was a goal he really should've had. A frustrating end to an otherwise solid period from the Rangers, who were playing well but just couldn't get the puck to go in.
The second would be one of the Rangers worst periods in a while, getting outshot 15-6 in the process. They couldn't get much generated in the first five minutes of the period and shortly after, Juho Lammikko scored off a perfect tip-in that Georgiev didn't stand a chance on to make it 3-0. Any and all energy disappeared after that goal. The Garden was silent and the Rangers weren't playing like they had anything left in the tank, almost as if they were ready to just take the loss and move on. Matthew Highmore would score on another tip-in later in the second, this time on a Vancouver power play to take a 4-0 lead into the third.
You almost knew the Rangers were going to find a way to give some false hope with a too little too late type of comeback in the third and sure enough, they did. Alexis Lafreniere, who has been one of the hotter Rangers as of late, let a beautiful one timer go off a Mika Zibanejad feed to get the Blueshirts on the board. About four minutes later, Ryan Strome tucked a backhander passed Demko in front of the net to bring his team within two with plenty of time left. A Vancouver timeout reminded the Canucks how to play hockey and they were able to hold off the Rangers for the rest of the game, putting it away with an empty net goal from Elias Pettersson.
A pretty disappointing effort on the back half of a back to back that included travel. How much of that is excusable? It's a good question but nevertheless, the Rangers will be well rested when they take on Pavel Buchnevich and the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday at the Garden. This will be another game the team will want to forget and get right back to work to prepare for the next one.
Did Alexandar Georgiev Play His Last Game as a New York Ranger?
The argument that Alexandar Georgiev isn't a good goaltender is sort of a lazy argument to me however, it's becoming more and more clear that a change of scenery is desperately needed. We know Georgiev is capable of playing well. We've seen it, although not so much since Shesterkin has solidified himself as the franchise goalie that he is. Georgiev has also made it clear that he needs to play consistently in order to be at his best and while that's extremely reasonable, it's just something that's not going to happen when your goal partner is Igor Shesterkin.
With the trade deadline approaching and the Rangers schedule being relatively spaced out throughout the month of March, it's worth asking if Georgiev started his last game as a New York Ranger yesterday against the Canucks. There are plenty of rumors circulating around him as there are many teams around the league desperate to bulk up their goaltending situations and frankly, the Rangers would be stupid not to entertain those offers. Georgiev's contract is up after this season and while he will be a restricted free agent, it makes more sense to move him at the deadline when teams are more eager to buy.
Now there's always the "well god forbid something happens with Igor" argument and to that, I have to say it's not worth missing the opportunity to sell Georgiev at a premium. Keith Kinkaid is the definition of an NHL back up goalie and has proven he can still play at this level. Do I want to ride Kinkaid for a long stretch if god forbid we had to? No, and if that happens, Adam Huska is an option. Let's not forget the real reason the Rangers have been so blessed with goaltenders, sure Lundqvist's and Shesterkin's don't grow on trees and are truly something special, but it's Benoit Allaire that makes NHL caliber starting goalies out of anything and I can absolutely see him turning Adam Huska into a starting goalie equal too or even better than Georgiev.
Now don't get me wrong, I've defended Alexandar Georgiev a lot over the years and I really do like the guy. I did however, come to a realization while watching the game last night. When he let in that weak second goal, I said to myself it doesn't matter if the team can't score anyway. A thought that sounded very familiar in the sense that this isn't the first time it's occurred this season. Sure not every goal he has let in this season has been bad but it seems that there's always a bad one proceeding or mixed in with the ones that aren't his fault. Does the team struggle to play well when they're in front of him or is it purely situational? Either way, I think it's in the Rangers best interest to make a move and try to get a good return. I do think Georgiev will be a capable starter wherever he goes but New York just isn't the right fit for him and keeping him here is almost holding back his career.
Has Filip Chytil Played His Last Game as a New York Ranger?
Another hard hitting question is what is going on with Filip Chytil? Chytil was held out of Thursday's game against Washington due to not feeling well and has been a scratch since. Head Coach Gerard Gallant made it very clear that him being scratched this weekend wasn't "anything he did" or "related to anything wrong with him" it was purely a coaches decision as the team has looked good without him. So many red flags as you can't begin to fathom how an NHL coach can see the benefit of Greg McKegg on the third line over Filip Chytil. There's something larger at play here.
You have to wonder if Filip Chytil being scratched is a coaches decision or a Chris Drury decision. The trade deadline is still a couple weeks away but could the Rangers be up to something? No matter how you look at it there isn't much sense to be made in keeping Chytil out of the lineup unless they want to ensure he stays healthy in the event they are preparing for a big trade. Are the Rangers going to bundle Chytil with Kravtsov and Lundkvist to get a big name player in return? Or are we looking at more of a one for one kind of deal? Or are the Rangers just really Hugh fans of Greg McKegg and don't think they need to be playing Chytil on a nightly basis? Whatever it is, it will certainly be interesting to see how it all plays out. The Rangers are back at it on Wednesday against the Blues but keep your eyes and ears open over the course of the next couple of days for any potential moves.
Chris Feldman
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