The New York Rangers opened up their 2023-24 campaign red-hot and were considered early favorites to make a run for the Stanley Cup. While their stance as a contending team hasn’t changed and they will still be looking to go all-in this season, their recent stretch of games has not been fun to watch for any Rangers fan. They have now lost seven of their last ten matchups and are lucky to still be atop the Metropolitan Division right now. Their game last night (Jan. 23) was one in which they earned a point having taken the game to overtime, but they blew a 2-0 lead to the last-place team, the San Jose Sharks.
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The 2023-24 Sharks roster has widely been considered one of the worst teams in NHL history, let alone for one season. They have been lucky lately with the return of star forward Logan Couture, but they still don’t have a strong team by any means. The Rangers were hoping to use this game as a way to get themselves back on track with a win against an easy opponent, but their recent struggles were exposed in what can only be described as an embarrassing loss that will haunt them for the foreseeable future.
Having won only three of their last ten games, the Rangers have failed to find the same dominance they had at the beginning of the season. While there is no real reason to panic yet as they are still in a good spot near the end of January, they will need to clean up their game if they want to find consistency heading past the trade deadline and into the postseason. With that being said, here are some takeaways from last night’s battle.
Rangers Had Tough Third Period
While they outshot the Sharks 10-6 in the third period, they allowed two goals that let the Sharks tie the game and come back from a 2-0 deficit. Both Nico Sturm and Ryan Carpenter found the back of the net to tie the game while the Rangers couldn’t beat Mackenzie Blackwood. While their play wasn’t the worst we’ve seen out of the Rangers this season, they ended up blowing the lead for a reason, and now they have to deal with having lost to the Sharks and hope they can bounce back in a big way.
The Rangers haven’t been known to blow leads, especially looking back near the beginning of the season, but they will have to work on playing a bit better defensively if they hope to finish the season strong and have a good position heading into the postseason.
Shesterkin Didn’t Have His Best Game
Despite still being seen as one of the strongest goaltenders in the league regardless of one game’s outcome, it’s hard not to notice a really tough game for goaltender Igor Shetserkin who allowed three goals on 22 shots and finished the night with a .864 save percentage. This is hopefully a one-off that he can bounce back from when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights in their next matchup on Friday, Jan. 26, if he happens to be between the pipes.
What’s Next For The Rangers?
As mentioned, the Rangers are back in action on Friday when they face off against the Golden Knights. They are a much tougher opponent and it’s a game they have to win to bring some momentum back to their team moving forward. They can’t afford to have another third-period collapse if they get a lead again, especially against a powerhouse roster like the Golden Knights. Hopefully, the Rangers can bounce back and pick up a win in their next game, and leave this one behind them.
