While the New York Rangers were better at producing scoring chances against the league’s best team earlier this week, they were doomed by mistakes and learned the gap may be wider between them and the NHL’s elite.
Two nights after a turnover-plagued setback to the Winnipeg Jets, the Rangers hope to correct their mistakes Thursday when they host the San Jose Sharks.
The Rangers are 4-4-0 in their past eight games. Each loss in that span was by at least two goals and New York allowed at least five goals in three, including a 6-3 loss to the Jets on Tuesday. The Rangers lost despite 36 shots on goal, their third-highest total so far.
“Whether it be puck decisions, or whether it be a little bit more responsible when we’re pressing in the offensive zone, there are definitely situations that we could have done things better,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “Offensively, I still think that we were on the attack. It’s one of those games where you’re punching — trying to punch away at them and generate offense, and sometimes you got to cover up and make sure that you’re not coming back and bleeding the other way. And those incidents, they cost us.”
The loss was New York’s third on home ice since its quick start. The Rangers never led and fell behind 57 seconds into the contest, when it allowed the first goal following a defensive zone turnover by Mika Zibanejad.
Zibanejad made the initial miscue trying to get the puck to linemate Artemi Panarin. He also committed a turnover late in the second that led to the Rangers falling behind for good after getting tying goals from Will Cuylle and Alexis Lafreniere.
Zibanejad is among the biggest names off to a slow start. After struggling in the latter portion of last spring’s run to the conference finals, Zibanejad has two goals and nine assists and was a minus-4 on Tuesday.
“I know that we count on Mika,” Laviolette said. “He’s an impact player for us, and sometimes when you are pushing offensively to try and make things happen things can go the other way for us, like they did for us tonight as a group.”
San Jose is playing better since its season-opening nine-game losing streak (0-7-2). The Sharks are 5-2-1 in their past eight and began their four-game trip with an impressive 44-save performance from Mackenzie Blackwood in Sunday’s 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Sharks followed with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, allowing 42 shots on goal.
San Jose earned the point by erasing a three-goal deficit. Jack Thompson and Mikael Granlund scored in the final five minutes of the second period before former Ranger Barclay Goodrow scored with under three minutes left in the third.
“We just couldn’t get into the game,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said after his team allowed at least 40 shots on goal for the sixth time. “We had some pushes at times. We did some good things at times. But just couldn’t play with that same energy and competitiveness, I would say, as last night.”
The Rangers are 9-0-2 in the past 11 meetings and nine of those were decided by one goal.
