First Period:
- Tanner Pearson (10) Assists: J.T. Miller (38)
- Tyler Myers (1) Assists: Matthew Highmore (6), J.T. Miller (39)
Second Period:
- Juho Lammikko (6) Assists: Luke Schenn (8)
- Matthew Highmore (3) (Power Play) Assists: Oliver Ekman-Larsson (12), Tyler Myers (12)
Third Period:
- Alexis Lafreniere (12) Assists: Mika Zibanejad (34)
- Ryan Strome (11) Assists: Adam Fox (43), Artemi Panarin (42)
- Elias Pettersson (17) Assists: Thatcher Demko (2)
Stats:
Adam Rotter:
- Even with their push in the last ten minutes, I think that most of this game goes in the stinker category. They had some chances in the first and Thatcher Demko made some big saves, but they didn’t show up at all in the second period or first half of the third. So in some ways it’s like many other games this season where the Rangers only play a strong 25-30 minutes, but they just seemed slow and disinterested in engaging with the Canucks for the most part.
- The Rangers seemed content to let this game play out until Alexis Lafreniere scored. Once the Rangers got one on the board they seemed to realize that they are vastly more talented and better than the Canucks and started to press to make it more of a game, but too little and far too late.
- You can go with any number of excuses for tonight’s game: 3 in 4 nights, second game of a back-t0-back, a non-conference opponent after two straight division games, yesterday’s game in Pittsburgh being physical/tough, no Igor Shesterkin, but they showed at times that they were capable of playing well tonight….they just didn’t do it enough.
- It’s a loss and an overall poor performance, but that pass from Mika Zibanejad and that shot from Alexis Lafreniere was one of those things that you really hope we keep seeing. It’s always been possible that the Rangers upgrades in the top-six could come from within and while Kaapo Kakko has been out for a while, Alexis Lafreniere does seem like he is finding his way.
- I understand that Gerard Gallant liked how the Rangers played the last two games, but it is ridiculous for that to be the reason to not play Filip Chytil tonight. I don’t agree, but I can see not playing him yesterday after a strong team game against Washington, but they lost and were shut out yesterday. Those two reasons, and the fact that he is a top-nine forward, are more than enough to slot him back in for Julien Gauthier or Morgan Barron as Greg McKegg seems to have a firmly established spot. I’m not saying Chytil would have made the difference yesterday or today, though he would have had fresh legs tonight, but, as presently constructed, the Rangers best lineup has Filip Chytil in it.
- It’s subtle sometimes, but Artemi Panarin doesn’t look like the player he was the past two years, especially his first year. He seems indecisive, always trying to fake defenders out with quick stick handling and just a bit out of sync. His “B” level games are “A” games for most other players and he’s still be a big PP contributor, but his game at even strength hasn’t been the same, he hasn’t been the same threat. Because of that, Ryan Strome’s production has also fallen.
- We knew Alex Georgiev was going to get this game and he was okay, but he didn’t make those extra saves, the ones that Igor Shesterkin makes to keep the Rangers in games when they are struggling. Thatcher Demko played really well for Vancouver and was the best player on the ice. I don’t pin this loss on Georgiev, but it was one of those games where one goalie makes a big save at one end and the next shift a goal is scored at the other end. That happened twice.
- So it’s two losses in a row for the Rangers and now they have a few days off before Pavel Buchnevich returns to MSG on Wednesday with the Blues. They should be rested by then, but starting on Wednesday the Rangers play every other night until they have two days off after playing Dallas on 3/12.