First Period:
- Cole Smith (1) Assists: Michael McCarron (1), Tyson Barrie (2)
- Cole Smith (2) Unassisted
Second Period:
- Ryan O’Reilly (2) (Power Play) Assists: Luke Evangelista (1), Filip Forsberg (4)
- Filip Forsberg (1) (Power Play) Assists: Tyson Barrie (3), Roman Josi (2)
- Adam Fox (1) (Power Play) Assists: Mika Zibanejad (5), Artemi Panarin (4)
Third Period:
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Stats:
Adam Rotter:
- In some ways this felt like last Thursday, but in reverse as the Rangers were the ones who looked stilted and unable to create much, generate offense, or really be in the game.
- Nashville was faster, won more battles and was rock solid defensively. It was like one of those frustrating games against the Islanders where the opposition seemed to know what the Rangers were going to do every time they had the puck. The Rangers were never really in this game.
- It’s four games into a season with a new coach and a drastically new system, but they have alternated good to pretty good performances/wins, with less than ideal performances where Igor Shesterkin gives up at least four. It’s far too early to call it a trend, but it’s something to monitor as things continue to get worked out.
- I was glad that, unlike last week against Columbus, that Igor Shesterkin got pulled so Jonathan Quick could get some time. I expected Quick to start tonight and still expect him to play on Saturday in Seattle, but he’s going to be important.
- There is no worry about Shesterkin, but it is always a bit startling to see him give up that many.
- The Rangers were sloppy, they weren’t sharp and their execution was way off. You combine that with how Nashville was defending and the Rangers felt like they were behind more than what the scoreboard said. It was a stinker and one that they can’t just flush away. It’s early in the year, they are still figuring things out and they need to figure out why and learn from it.
- They head out to Seattle and then Western Canada for the first major roadtrip of the season.