Nov 21, 2023

Rangers Thoughts Presented by Vintage Ice Hockey: Defeated in Dallas

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The Rangers lost in regulation for the first time in more than a month on Monday in Dallas.

Here are 10 thoughts on the Rangers.

1. Things are going so well for the Rangers that blowing a 2-0 second-period lead and allowing six straight goals (including five in the third period) in an eventual 6-3 loss isn’t upsetting. Losses are going to happen, even losses as bad as the one in Dallas on Monday.

“I thought we started the right way,” Peter Laviolette said after the loss. “It’s tough to finish that way.”

2. After the Stars tied the game at 2, their third goal was initially waved off before being overturned in their favor. When the Rangers had an obvious goal overturned a couple of weekends ago against the Blue Jackets, Stephen Valiquette said, “The Rangers never get a call … I’m not kidding.” And he wasn’t kididng.

The Rangers had two goals called back against them in Columbus in the second game of the season. They had the goal called back against them against Columbus two weekends ago. On Saturday in New Jersey, the Devils’ first goal was overturned in favor of the Devils and later in the game, a major penalty was taken off the board completely in favor of the Devils. Then in Dallas on Monday, not only was the Stars’ third goal overturned in their favor, but so was their fourth. The moment the officials need to review anything, you can guarantee it’s going against the Rangers.

3. That’s not me complaining about officiating or being a homer, it’s the truth. Valiquette wasn’t kidding, and neither am I. The Rangers are never the beneficiary of a review.

Despite the loss, the Rangers remain comfortably atop the Met with a four-point lead on the second-place Flyers, who they have two games in hand on as well. The Rangers may have blown a two-goal lead and have allowed six unanswered goals (two were empty-netters), but they are still very, very good.

4. Not all of the Rangers have been good this season, even with the team having won 75 percent of its games, and a good amount of them haven’t played to expectations. They haven’t had to because Artemi Panarin has been otherworldly with 10 goals and 16 assists in 16 games. Sadly, his point streak ended on Monday as he was unable to find the scoresheet.

Panarin’s 15-game point streak to begin the season was the longest to start a season in Rangers history and was the third longest point streak in Rangers history. It was the longest streak since Wayne Gretzky in 1996-97 and after Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Devils, Panarin became the first Ranger to have five consecutive multi-point games since Jaromir Jagr 18 years ago.

5. While Panarin is enjoying the best season of his career, Mika Zibenejad is mired in the worst of his in terms of goal scoring. Zibanejad continues to sit on two goals. He has as many goals as Kaapo Kakkko and Blake Wheeler and one fewer than Jimmy Vesey and Will Cuylle. He’s on pace for 10 goals this season, which is how many Panarin and Chris Kreider already have.

One of these games, Zibanejad will go off, net a hat trick and get right back to being his usual self. With the season 20 percent over, it would be nice if that happened in the near future, and no better time than this week where the Rangers will play three games in four days and five games in eight days. This is the most opportune time for Zibanejad to start finding the back of the net.

6. I do come across line change proposals and new combinations to get Zibanejad out of his funk, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Unless you’re going to pair him with Panarin (a move I have called for since Panarin’s Rangers debut) then there’s no need to upset the Panarin-Vincent Trocheck-Alexis Lafreniere line. Zibanejad can figure it out and will figure it out without needing to change the dynamic of a first- place team. (Again, unless you’re putting him with Panarin and Lafreniere).

7. Lafreniere continues to be noticeable every game and prove that former No. 1 overall worth. He had the game of his career to date against Columbus and even on nights when he’s not scoring or assisting on goals, he’s having an impact on the game. Too many times over his first three seasons would he have games (and even stretches) of being invisible and that’s not happening this season. Peter Laviolette’s faith in Lafreniere becoming the player the Rangers have dreamed out is paying off.

8. Kaapo Kakko just went 10 games without a point. Zibanejad has two goals. Adam Fox and Filip Chytil have missed 38 percent of the season and Chytil had no goals in the 10 games he did play. Igor Shesterkin missed two weeks and the Rangers used three goalies in their first 13 games. And yet, they are still 12-3-1. I’m sure the Rangers will give fans plenty to complain about over the remaining 66 games, but for now, even the things there are to complain about aren’t worth it just as of now. Again, they just lost for the first time in regulation and just the second time overall in more than a month.

9. The Rangers’ schedule has been rather odd to this point. After a pair of road games and a pair of home games to begin the season, they went on a 10-day, three-time zone road trip in which they went west (Seattle), east (Calgary), north (Edmonton), west again (Vancouver) and east again Winnipeg), They returned home for one game and then went back on the road and out of the time zone for one game in Minnesota. (Why not just play in Minnesota after Winnipeg?) Then they played three home games before having six days off. Now they are on a road trip that covers New Jersey (OK, not really a road trip), Dallas, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

10. Now the Rangers have an extremely tough week ahead with games against the Penguins, Flyers, Bruins, Sabres and Red Wings. There’s a chance they could get Fox back next week and there’s hopefully a chance Zibenejad will score a goal within the next week. The Rangers’ third-period heroics finally went the other way against them in Dallas, and if it wasn’t just one loss and if the magic that has been the first six weeks of the season is going to start to wear off, they’re going to need both the physical return of Fox and the goal-scoring return of Zibanejad to avoid undoing what they have done to this point.