Despite a final push, the Rangers fall to the Avalanche for the second time this season by a score of 4-2. The Rangers had a better showing then they did in the first meeting but still fell short, unable to gain an upper hand against this offensive powerhouse of a team. This loss now puts the Rangers in a bit of a situation they haven’t been in since the start of the year, as they are now 1-3 in their last four. While it’s justifiable to have some concerns, there’s no reason to hit the panic button. Every team goes through bumps throughout the season and I’d much rather the Rangers hit theirs in early December than in the first quarter of the season.
One of the main concerns from last night was the third pairing. Libor Hajek did have some moments where he looked good out there and even pretty confident with the puck on a breakout. However, that first goal from Colorado was an awful look for him as well as Patrik Nemeth, who is beginning to be put in the hot seat of Rangers fans. The two of them got caught standing around watching the play when the guys they should’ve been covering were wide open which led to that first Mikko Rantanen goal.
As the first period was in its final minutes, Cale Makar let a rocket of a shot go on the power play to put Colorado up 2-0. Another goal Nemeth was out there for, who is leading the team in the minus category. For as good as Zac Jones, Braden Schneider or whoever you want to pick from Hartford are doing, the fact of the matter is none of them are likely to be brought up to replace Nemeth. While this team does have its strong leadership core, there aren’t many seasoned vets, especially on the blue line. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Rangers have a third pairing with an average age of 20, they want Nemeth there to help develop Lundkvist.
That being said, it’s not an excuse for Nemeth to slack and this is a perfect example of how you can’t rest on your laurels. Nemeth has to be better, especially as a stay at home veteran defenseman. Hunker down and make keeping the puck out of the net when you’re on the ice your number one priority. The Rangers showed some life when Ryan Strome scored to cut the lead in half but lost it a bit after Valeri Nichushkin found the back of the net with 75 seconds to go in the period. The Rangers came out stronger in the third, doubling their shot total and with a few minutes to go, Julien Gauthier brought them within one. The team made a push but Nichushkin found the empty net to cap off the night, on to Arizona.
Rangers Game Day @ Arizona Coyotes 12/15/2021
The Rangers are right back at it tonight in their third back to back this month against a struggling Arizona Coyotes team. This should be the perfect bounce back game for a team who doesn’t want to add any more losses to their recent results. The Coyotes only have five wins on the year and rank among the league's worst in every major team stat. (29th on the penalty kill, 31st on the power play, 32nd in goals for and goals against in games played) Only in face offs do they have the Rangers beat as they rank 23rd while the Rangers are second to last in the league in that category.
It’ll be interesting to see if Gerard Gallant considers rolling Georgiev again; however we may finally see Keith Kinkaid take the net for the Rangers. Coaches seem to truly find it taboo to play goalies in back to back nights no matter the circumstances and that’s been the case with Gallant all throughout this season thus far. Not to mention, Kinkaid is a very well liked guy around the room and in the event the Rangers do find a trade partner to take Georgiev off their hands, Kinkaid’s their back up with no question.
Barring a Lundkvist return to the line up, expect much of the same:
Kreider - Zibanejad - Kakko
Panarin - Strome - Hunt
Lafreniere - Chytil - Gauthier
Rooney - Goodrow - Reaves
Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Trouba
Nemeth - Hajek
One thing the Rangers really need to consider with their power play and especially when they were trying to tie the game last night is balancing the handedness of the players on the ice better. The power play as it stands right now is Zibanejad, Strome, Panarin and Fox with Kreider in front of the net. The Rangers should consider putting Lafreniere or Kakko out there to be able to open up for the one times on their strong side, especially since Kreider pretty much stays put in front of the goalie. Too many times Strome is getting fed a pass he can’t get off quick enough because he is a right handed shot.
This was even more noticeable when the Rangers pulled the goalie with the power play unit out there and had Julien Gauthier, another right handed shot out as the extra attacker. I am all for Julien Gauthier getting more responsibility and in return, more ice time. However, you need to balance the handedness of who you have on the ice a little better. If Lafreniere or Kakko can get into a rhythm of letting one timers go from the right side, it can be just what they need to take that next step.
All in all, I wouldn’t expect much change in a span of 24 hours. The Rangers don’t have much time before getting back out there and doing it all again which will hopefully keep them from dwelling on last night's loss. Getting off to a good start will be critical, they never got the upper hand last night and that’s something they need to establish early, especially against a team like the Coyotes. You don’t want to give a team that’s desperately looking for ways to win any hope.
Chris Feldman
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