The Rangers can’t find deals on defense in the loss to the Flyers

The New York Rangers were looking to put a frustrating losing streak behind them and turn the tide with a decisive win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Instead, they delivered a performance that felt more like a Thanksgiving leftover, sloppy, uninspired and full of errors. Then again, they were like that all November long, so maybe that’s par for the course. The narrow 3-1 defeat was their fifth straight loss and another lethargic defensive performance that saw the Blueshirts send their opponents flying into the offensive zone and bombing the goalie. Igor Shesterkin was back to his world-class level after two softies that made the difference in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, but again it wasn’t enough.

A thankless beginning:

The New York Rangers’ start to the Black Friday matinee was pathetic. There must have been too much turkey eaten, or maybe the team stayed up too late partying in Philly. Regardless, they left fans with nothing to be thankful for after the first half.

The same is true despite the announcement Chris Drury made to the veterans earlier this week putting them on the trading block. At the first TV timeout at 6:32, the Flyers had a 2-0 advantage on the scoreboard and an 8-0 advantage in shot count. The Blueshirts were late to work for the seventh time in the last 14 appointments.

The opening goal came on a faceoff win by the Flyers, which led to a dangerous chance from Bobby Brink in the slot. Pinches from Miller and Trouba left them flat-footed, but Shesterkin barely managed to save the ball. Shortly afterwards the Rangers came under pressure again. A loose puck was passed by Adam Fox, allowing Tyson Foerster to set up Brink, who scored while Lindgren was caught out of position and on the wrong side of the puck.

Travis Konecny ​​​​scored the second goal in less than five minutes. Miller’s poor anticipation of the puck leaving the offensive zone allowed Konecny ​​to fly by and beat Trouba on a 1-on-1 before sending the puck five-hole to Shesterkin. Coach Peter Laviolette talked on the bench during the timeout, but the players showed lifeless body language and minimal communication. But get out of this break? Same mess. They unquestionably slammed pucks out of the zone and left the Flyers with juicy turnovers to pounce on.

Eleven minutes after the start of the game – ELEVEN – the guests finally registered a shot on goal. The Bronx cheer was well deserved. Vincent Trocheck, invisible for the last twelve games, hit a reasonably good shot from the top left point against Ivan Fedotov, but that was it. Reilly Smith decided to gift Bobby Brink a puck during a Flyers breakaway. Then Adam Fox, normally Mr. Reliable, was picked off in the neutral zone, giving the unchecked Brink two prime chances at Igor.

At least Johnny Brodzinski got Garnet Hathaway to settle for a shot on a 2V1 that Igor could handle. But at that point the Flyers had a 13-1 lead. Panarin got involved with Konecny ​​after the final whistle, but two Flyers jumped in and created a 3-on-1 scrum. The Rangers were slow to defend their franchise star. They seemed disinterested and completely emotionless. The shots were 15-4 in Philly when the final horn sounded in the first frame, and the big-danger odds were 10-2. The Blueshirts made nine giveaways compared to none taken away. The Rangers led 12-0, but it was empty consolation.

They were lucky to only be down 2-0 instead of 5-0 as Igor, after allowing two softies that cost New York a win in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, high between the pipes. As MSG broadcasters Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti noted, the offensive zone seemed impossible to find. After four straight defeats, a performance like this wasn’t what should have happened. This is another reason for Drury to start selling off soon. No wonder the Brain Trust inquired about former Vancouver Canucks Blueshirt JT Miller.

Leftovers served cold:

The Flyers entered the second half with the league’s worst goal difference in the middle of the pack (-18), but you wouldn’t have known that looking at the Rangers. Right in front of the goal, Scott Laughton had a 2-on-1 chance that Shesterkin took advantage of. Another odd man rush forced Igor into another huge save after Fox casually turned the puck over. It was the same story: The Blueshirts goaltender was saving his bacon while the team in front of him looked like they were waiting for him to do everything. Newsflash: Igor can’t score from 200 feet.

Laviolette shuffled the lines and put Panarin, Zibanejad and Cuylle together, while Trocheck put Berard and Lafrenière in focus. Edstrom was paired with Kappo Kakko and Reilly Smith. It was an attempt to breathe some life into a flat lineup. The boys responded to their coach’s request. Captain and trade candidate Jacob Trouba fired a tight-angle shot off Fedotov’s mask, and Lindgren delivered a big hit to Calder Trophy front-runner Matvei Michkov that drew a reaction. Finally they achieved a breakthrough. Trocheck ended his seven-game scoring drought after Cuylle moved him into the high position. Trocheck’s perfectly shielded shot found the top left corner and brought the Wells Fargo Blueshirts lineup to life. Suddenly it was 2-1 and for a moment it seemed as if they could turn the tide.

However, Laviolette wasn’t finished with the optimizations yet. He brought Kakko out of the middle and put Brodzinski between him and Reilly Smith, while Sam Carrick brought Adam Edstrom and Vesey into the middle. Berard was a rare bright spot, forcing a turnover with great defensive play and then racing away to grab a breakaway opportunity. Fedotov denied it, but Berard’s energy sparked an otherwise sluggish attempt.

However, there were still defensive errors. At one point, the Rangers somehow gave up a 3-on-0 due to possession in their own offensive zone. It was the fifteenth chance that an odd man rush had given them. That’s a season-high for the Eastern Conference Kings of Rush chances, and they accomplished the feat in just 37 minutes. However, they managed to escape the quarter with a 1-2 deficit. That’s a credit to Shesterkin, as Philadelphia had a 12-10 record in the second period and a 27-14 record for the game, with slot odds at 23-5 for the Flyers in the 40th minute. The deficit could easily have been much worse.

The third period was the same. Shesterkin did everything he could to keep the Rangers in control with a handful of 2-on-1 saves. He finished with 32 saves and an above-expected goals save percentage of 1.46. But when New York finally got some time in the offensive zone, they buckled under the Flyers’ pressure and got too sweet with cross-ice passes again. In the final seconds they had a unique chance to secure a point in the table and force extra time, but Mika Zibanejad, who was wide open in the slot, missed the goal. It’s the perfect snapshot of what went wrong for the $8.5 million man who’s playing like a $0.5 million player right now.

Konecny ​​sealed the game with an empty net, and the Rangers headed back down the turnpike as they came in – losers: five straight losses and no end in sight.