The Rangers Did This to Themselves

It was not supposed to end this way for the New York Rangers.

After adding Patrick Kane to an already loaded offense, the Blueshirts and their fans were dreaming of winning the Stanley Cup, and rightfully so. Sure, it would take some work to make it happen, but after what they accomplished in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, many figured that they had what it takes to get to the next level.

Well, everyone was wrong. The New Jersey Devils knocked the Rangers out of the first round in seven games thanks to a 4-0 shutout victory in Game 7 at the Prudential Center on Monday night, May 1st.

Related Story: Rangers’ Offense Has Gone Missing At the Wrong Time

Much like was the case all series long, the Rangers were their own worst enemy in Game 7. For starters, the team did not play with any sense of urgency.

The Rangers gave up the puck a lot, made other careless plays with the puck, did not win any battles along the boards, and left their All-Star goaltender Igor Shesterkin out to dry. This is something they did a lot of in their losses in Games 3, 4, and 5 as well.

The team was also very lazy, especially in Game 7. The Devils’ first goal of the game is the perfect example of this, as Adam Fox got too lackadaisical with the puck and ended up turning it over not once but twice before Devils forward Michael McLeod put the puck in the back of the net.

The team’s big-time players did not show up when the team needed them the most. Where was Artemi Panarin in this series?

After leading the team in scoring in the regular season with 92 points, Panarin was a no-show at the most important time of the year. The same could be said of his performance in last year’s postseason as well.

It can also be said that the team’s second-leading scorer, Mika Zibanejad, did not do much in this year’s playoffs. He had just four points in this series after scoring 91 in the regular season.

And what about Patrick Kane? Kane was brought in to help the team succeed in the playoffs, and he did not do that one bit, as he had just one goal.

Some blame also needs to be put on Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant. After losing Games 3 and 4, he did not make any adjustments, and because of that, the Devils came out and manhandled the Blueshirts in Game 5.

All in all, it was a very disappointing performance from the Rangers. It could have been very different, but in the end, the Rangers have no one to blame but themselves.

1st in the League, Last in Preseason Predictions Ranting Rangers: A New York Rangers Podcast

In this weeks episode it’s good all vibes with the Rangers being first in the NHL. We discuss Mika, Trouba, the NHL and more.Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. 1st in the League, Last in Preseason Predictions
  2. Rangers on a Thanksgiving Roll
  3. Guest Will Wright
  4. No Fox November
  5. On the Fury Road

Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

One thought on “The Rangers Did This to Themselves”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anaheim Ducks Lose Early Momentum

The Anaheim Ducks made waves early this season as they closed out the opening month of October with a 5-4-0 record. This record included a road win at TD Garden, which served as the first loss of the season for the Boston Bruins. This trend continued into the beginning of November as the Ducks defeated […]

Read More

Montreal Canadiens Extend Samuel Montembeault

The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have re-signed goaltender Samuel Montembeault to a three-year extension worth 3.15 million per year, there are no trade restrictions on the contract. Montembeault joined Montreal after being claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers back in October 2021 and was given a two-year deal worth $2 million in July […]

Read More

Stars Fall to Flames 4-3 in Overtime

The Dallas Stars finished their two-game Western Canadian road trip with a game at the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. The Stars, however, lost 4-3 to the Flames in overtime at the Scotiabank Saddledome after Nazem Kadri scored the game-winning goal at 1:01 of overtime. Dallas fell to 13-5-3, while Calgary improved to 10-10-3. Stars […]

Read More