NYI/NYR Rivalry: Rangers Continue To Improve But Cough Up Another Winnable Game

Well, so much for The Stat. For just the second time in their last 176 games going into the 3rd period with a lead, the Rangers lost in regulation. This one stings a little more considering it was at the hands of the rival Islanders. The Blueshirts played great for a majority of the game. They dominated all the fancy stats. Crushed face-offs, out-hit the blue collar Isles & had a slew of opportunities to open up a multi-goal lead in the first 40 minutes. The Islanders managed to hang around though and stole the W.
When you keep ringing posts & missing empty nets, there’s little room for error – especially against competent squads like Washington or the Isles. Just like Girardi’s giveaway to Ovi put the Rangers in a hole, Kevin Hayes’ miscues in the defensive zone resulted in a Brock Nelson equalizer. Soon after, Dylan McIlrath was sent to the sin bin on a soft call that cost his team the game. Refs wouldn’t let the kid scrap twice & then gave him 2 minutes for some light after-the-whistle stuff that had been going on all game. Gotta pay your dues I guess. He had a solid night though and his physicality deserves a regular spot in the lineup for a tough back-to-back weekend in Philly & DC.
The Rangers still haven’t won 2 straight since before Thanksgiving but there’s no question their play has improved dramatically compared to their December hell. They’re dictating pace more, generating more offensive pressure & defending stronger. Clearly not peaking yet but you could argue they’re playing better now than their 9-game win streak. Results are all that matter though & that’s the one thing NY still has to figure out. That’s what the remaining 39 contests are for. Iron out the kinks and put it all together for a playoff run. It’s a marathon not a sprint. If we’ve learned anything, we’ve learned first place in the regular season means very little. They’re coming around, I promise. If they played like last night in a 7-game series, there’s no shot the Isles win 4.
Now kill a half hour of your Friday and listen to Connor & I talk about the NY teams on Episode 8 of Chief’s Chip and Chase podcast.