Field Level Media has already posted something of a “character sketch” of the Red Wings and New York Rangers ahead of this week’s “home-and-home” series between the two teams. Here’s what FML has to say about the Rangers:
The New York Rangers began their season with an impressive blowout and then followed up by making defensive miscues that prevented them from keeping pace in a high-scoring affair.
Coming off two different outcomes to start the season, the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.
The Rangers opened up with Wednesday’s 6-0 rout at Pittsburgh when Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves. They followed it up with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday in their home opener — a game they tied three times but never led.
Artemi Panarin scored New York’s first two tying goals, and K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider and Will Cuylle also scored. Adam Fox added three assists but Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider were a combined minus-6 in a game when the Rangers allowed 26 shots on goal — five fewer than their season opener.
New York’s offense was not enough when it committed a defensive lapse that resulted in Clayton Keller scoring with 54.9 seconds left in overtime.
“We probably should have won the game,” Kreider said. “We come into the game tonight thinking that we’re going to win the game if we play the right way, have a chance to win a game. And there are stretches where we didn’t (play well). We’re lucky to get one (point).”
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The Rangers swept last season’s season series, winning each of the three games by two goals or fewer. New York is 9-1-2 in the past 12 meetings since the start of the 2019-20 season.
Ugh.
