With 3:11 seconds to go in the third period in Saturday’s matinee, the Rangers had a two-goal lead. Then J-G Pageau, of the Ottawa Senators, scored his second goal of the night, then his third, and eventually fourth. Yes, Henrik Lundqvist didn’t play his best game of the playoffs, but he can not be counted on to carry the load every game.
Why did the Rangers lose?
- Sloppiness: The Rangers gave up five power play opportunities, which all could have been avoided as most of them were unnecessary. Dan Girardi made a bad pass that resulted in G-J Pageau’s first goal in the game, which Lundqvist should have saved.
One positive: Brady Skjei continues to impress and show his offensive and defensive skills. Brady scored two goals, both with crafty shots and made a sliding defensive play to stop a two on one.
Another positive: Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider finally scored hopefully boosting their morale and confidence heading into game 3.
2. Defensive collapses: The Rangers laid back once they had a two goal lead giving Ottawa a chance to tie the game.
A major disappointment thus far in this series is that the Rangers have not matched the urgency, tempo, and physicality that they showed in the first series vs. Montreal.
Tomorrow, I expect the Rangers to come on the ice with urgency because if they fail to do so, they will be on the brink of elimination. The Rangers really need to win both games at home.
Do I expect Tanner Glass to play? Maybe, it depends on AV’s vibe from the locker room. If Coach AV feels like the Rangers can win without, let’s face it, a guaranteed fight to spark the team, he won’t play Tanner Glass because he likes what Buchnevich brings to the team.
Post-game comments:
Ryan Mcdonagh: “They got pucks and bodies to the net and allowed guys time and space there, deflections and stuff, there’s not much Henrik can do there. It’s a tough way to lose a game but it doesn’t mean the series is over here.”
“It’s a good thing we have two days here because it might take a full day to let this one go,” McDonagh commented. “We get an opportunity to practice and get our energy level back and our execution going back and our focus in the right direction leading up to the game.
“Take it one step at a time, one day at a time and our group is not going to give up here,” he added. “We’re going to come out hard here in our building.”
