The Rangers fell 5-4 to the Avalanche on Sunday. A goal with 14.7 seconds remaining. largely due to a lack of situation awareness creating the turnover and subsequent 3-on-1 breakout, gave Colorado the win. The loss ended the Blueshirt 10-game point streak and left them three points out of a playoff spot. New York doesn't have long to lick their wounds, as they take on Carolina on Tuesday.
A few thoughts:
1) Gut wrenching loss: New York rallied from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits to toe the game with just under five minutes to go. The Rangers drew a penalty with 2:24 remaining on Cale Makar and the msg crowd was buzzing expecting a game-winner. The Bueshirts had two good looks, an Adam Fox point shot with Chris Kreider setting a screen and Mika Zibanejad's shot that looked ticketed to the far side that Mackenzie Blackwood grabbed with his glove.
Then it all fell apart. I was sitting with my younger daughter at the game and said to her that if they don't score, they better watch the man coming out of the box, because he could create an odd man rush with a steal. Sure enough, that's what happened.
K'Andre Miller gained the offensive zone and went back to Will Borgen. That duo just recently came as the coaching staff was cognizant that the power play was close to ending and wanted two d-men on the ice. Borgen attempted to go cross ice to Artmei Panarin, who was calling for the puck, forgetting that the PP was ending and Cale Makar was coming out of the box. Panarin overstayed his shift, the second time that the Rangers were burned Sunday by that action by him. Turnover, 3-on-1, forwards late coming back, pass from left to right side to Artturi Lehkonen and goal. This was the second time in 12 days that Lehkonen crushed the Rangers' spirit and stole a win with a goal. The first time was in overtime, this one was worse.
You have to have better time and situational awareness. Something like this can't happen, especially when every point is so valuable. Bad read, bad awareness, bad knowledge, bad execution and poor hustle.
2) Resilience: after a so-so first period after which they trailed 3-2, the Rangers outshot the Avalanche 27-9 the next two periods. I didn't think they were great in the second, but felt they had an excellent third, at least until the end.
You knew Colorado would come out strong after a bad loss Saturday. Early signs are that Martin Necas, who had a pair of assists, hit a post and a crossbar, and Nathan MacKinnon are going to be a handful while Jack Drury, who tallied the first goal of the game, should be a solid bottom-six center. After falling behind 2-0 thanks to Makar, the fourth line halved the deficit, Matt Rempe had an excellent shift and his backhand across the crease was kicked out by Mackenzie Blackwood but Sam Carrick buried the rebound. Vincent Trocheck tied the game off a 2-on-1 with Alexis Lafreniere, who showed great patience in waiting and waiting and waiting before putting the under the defenseman to Trocheck for the goal. Makar notched his second of the game, this one on the PP, to make it 3-2 after one period.
Juuso Parsinnen made it 4-2, 16:01 into the second, but the Rangers kept grinding and generating a modicum of chances. Borgen potted a rebound from the crease to make it 4-3 after two. New York, while carrying play in the third, didn't have an inordinate amount of grade A chances, but they made Blackwood work. A solid zone entry and passing play resulted in a choice rebound off of a Trocheck shot that Panarin, who in my opinion had a brutal game even before the end game issue, buried. But we all know how the game ended.
3) Defense: not a work of art from any of them. Borgen had a solid game, but the late turnover drains any positivity. I thought Adam Fox struggled early before rallying. Colorado pressured the blueline and they fumbled the puck while failing to exit the zone cleanly, requiring the D to regroup and try again, resulting in turnovers.
What struck me also is how wide open the very high slot/low point was. The amount of room there was staggering, The slot forward has to come up higher to take it away or the points have to pinch in a little and come higher to take away that room. Colorado generated an exorbitant amount of prime scoring chances due to this issue.
A crushing loss, especially when any defeat without earning a point is damaging. New York should have had at least one point. Without one, another game passes where no ground was made up on those ahead of the Blueshirts in the standings.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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