New York Rangers: Losing games and now losing bodies
The New York Rangers were already losing games, but now they are doing it and losing bodies to go with it.
The New York Rangers do not have things going their way as of late. First of all we have yesterday’s loss to the Penguins, marking the third straight loss. They are 3-5-2 in their last ten games. It’s not only that, it’s the fact that the games haven’t been pretty. Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh was the sixth time since December 5th that the Blue Shirts have given up more than 40 shots. Over that time period they are allowing 37.3 shots against.
Clearly that already leaves the team with plenty to work on. When Henrik Lundqvist stops 42 shots and the Rangers are barely even in the game, that’s a problem. They have to take better care of the puck than they are currently taking. There have been too many unforced errors that have led to Lundqvist getting peppered with shots. He can’t stop them all, all the time. He needs some help.
More from Empire Writes Back
- Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
- Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
- Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
- PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
- Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!
Now, however, it’s not only games that are being lost, it’s bodies too. There is the captain, Ryan McDonagh. He began experiencing back spasms on Saturday against the rival Islanders. Ryan gave it a go on Sunday but was forced out because the spasms worsened. He was replaced by Brendan Smith.
Then there was Kevin Hayes, who suffered a leg contusion in the game before the break against the Vegas Golden Knights. He received treatment all through the bye week so he was ready to play against the Islanders on Saturday.
Unfortunately for Kevin and for Vigneault, Hayes had his pain return during the game on Saturday so he stayed home on Sunday to receive treatment.
Next: Chris Kreider remains out indefinitely
Obviously this is a bad trend. They can’t score right now. Everyone goes through spots of scoring droughts, but this one is coming with casualties. Chris Kreider is already out, and now two of their best defenders are banged up. They are already making defensive errors, so losing two of their top players for any period of time will not help.
They need to get this right and do so quickly.