January 1st is typically a day for recovering from a hangover, but for the Rangers, January 15th will have to serve that purpose instead. This hangover, however, doesn’t come from a night of drinks.
Rather, it stems from a late-night game in Denver, where the Rangers were just under two minutes away from sealing a respectable 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, only to suffer a disheartening 3-2 overtime defeat. Despite several positive aspects from the game, the disappointment of failing to secure two points and missing out on a third consecutive victory against three strong opponents overshadowed the night, leaving the Rangers — and likely their fans — with a disoriented feeling when they woke up on Wednesday.
The Rangers (20-20-3) have not faced a regulation loss in their last five games (3-0-2), which is a silver lining. They also hold a 4-1-2 record since the start of the new year.
Still, they sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Columbus Blue Jackets by five points for the second wild card and six points behind the Boston Bruins for the top wild card spot.
It’s time to regroup and prepare for the final game of their three-game road trip in Utah on Friday, a match the Rangers must win. Here are three key points from their loss in Denver on Tuesday, including another standout performance from the fourth line.
Additionally, there’s an intriguing piece discussing why the Rangers “can’t win the Stanley Cup with Mika Zibanejad as the first center,” featuring quotes from my discussion with Dennis Bernstein of the Fourth Period.
Our latest report on Rangers NCAA prospects highlights the return of two World Junior Championship gold medalists to Boston College.
In Pittsburgh, the atmosphere is tense as the Penguins struggle, leading coach Mike Sullivan to question their dedication following a 4-2 loss to Kaapo Kakko and the Seattle Kraken.
Evgeni Malkin made his return to the Penguins after an injury absence, amidst reports of his three Stanley Cup rings being stolen in a home invasion.
New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier continued his feud with the Florida Panthers during a scuffle in their 2-1 shootout victory on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper taught Brayden Point a lesson when he was benched against the Boston Bruins for missing a team meeting, resulting in a 6-2 loss for the Lightning.
The Detroit Red Wings suffered their first defeat in eight games, losing 6-3 to the San Jose Sharks. They also lost former Rangers forward Tyler Motte, who left the game in the second period due to an upper-body injury sustained from colliding with the boards.
Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe was fined $5,000 for slew-footing Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid in Monday’s game.
The Islanders were shut out for the sixth time this season, with a 2-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators, who have now won three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals continued their success with a 3-0 home victory over the Anaheim Ducks, improving to 5-0-3 in their last eight contests.
And the Columbus Blue Jackets secured their fifth consecutive win, edging the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a shootout.
Lastly, check out Kyle Connor’s natural hat trick during the first period of the Winnipeg Jets’ impressive 6-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
