The New York Rangers scored two short-handed goals on the same penalty kill for the first time since 2014 but struggled to capitalize on their own power play, leading to a crushing 7-3 home loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
This game carried significant playoff implications, as both teams entered with 68 points, competing for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. With the victory, Columbus (31-24-8) claimed sole possession of the first wild-card spot, while the Rangers (31-27-6) dropped to ninth in the conference, one point away from the second wild card.
A well-timed power-play goal could have been a game-changer for the Rangers, who have now lost three straight games (0-1-2).
After trailing for most of the first period, New York tied the game at 19:31 when Artemi Panarin perfectly deflected an Alexis Lafreniere shot, marking Panarin’s fifth consecutive game with a goal. Just seven seconds later, the Rangers got a prime opportunity to take the lead as Denton Mateychuk was penalized for interference. Panarin managed a shot on goal and missed another attempt in the final 22 seconds before the period ended, but that was the extent of their power-play effort.
The momentum from the first period faded during intermission, as the Rangers failed to generate any offense on the remaining 1:38 of the penalty to start the second period—a missed opportunity that proved costly.
That successful penalty kill energized Columbus, particularly sophomore center Adam Fantilli, who scored twice in a span of just 26 seconds at even strength, netting goals at 3:07 and 3:33.
The Rangers responded with an impressive display on the penalty kill while down a man with Will Cuylle serving a holding penalty. Instead of allowing Columbus to extend their lead, New York struck back with two short-handed goals. Braden Schneider scored at 6:54, followed by Chris Kreider at 7:36 on a 2-on-0 breakaway with Mika Zibanejad, electrifying the Madison Square Garden crowd.
However, the Blue Jackets finished the second period strong with consecutive goals from Mathieu Olivier at 17:03 and Dante Fabbro at 18:47, regaining control of the game. Early in the third period, the Rangers had another opportunity to turn the tide after Ivan Provorov took a delay of game penalty at 5:57. Unfortunately for New York, they once again failed to convert on the power play at a critical moment, sealing their fate.
“We’ve got to score,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette complained post-game. “That’s a chance to get that fourth goal, or that’s a chance to get that second goal in the first period.”
Columbus sealed the victory with two quick goals shortly afterward, including Fantilli’s third of the game to notch the second hat trick of his young career.
New York missed out on two crucial power-play chances and went 0-for-4 overall, extending their slump to just 1-for-21 over the past seven games.
“There’s been a lot in the last couple of games where I feel like we could’ve scored a few, but pucks just didn’t go in,” center Vincent Trocheck said of the failing power play.
While the recent troubles could be linked to the absence of defenseman Adam Fox, New York’s power play has been subpar throughout the season. The Rangers’ 0-fer against Columbus pushed them to 24th in the League with 19.7 percent. The Rangers’ power-play struggles this season are a big drop down from a previously steady component of their game – they placed third in the 2023-24 season (26.4 percent), eighth in 2022-23 (24.1 percent), and fourth in 2021-22 (25.2 percent).
“Obviously our power play needs to improve,” Zibanejad stated.
Rangers sloppy defensive play also cause for concern: ‘We’re shooting ourselves in the foot’
The Rangers’ strong penalty kill helped compensate for their defensive struggles during a pivotal loss to the Blue Jackets.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick had a rough night, stopping just 21 of the 28 shots he faced. However, the defense offered little support, surrendering numerous prime scoring opportunities to Columbus. At even strength, the Rangers were outshot 24-15 and gave up 11 high-danger chances while producing only seven of their own, according to Natural Stat Trick.
“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” Trocheck explained. “I don’t know how many of their goals were just a product of us giving them a Grade A chance.”
The two short-handed goals briefly shifted the tide in New York’s favor, but the Blueshirts were unable to capitalize, eventually giving up four consecutive goals.
“When we made it 3-3, we needed to grab the juice, get the fourth goal and then push the game in our direction,” Laviolette told ESPN. “It didn’t happen.”
The fourth goal never came for New York, and the Blue Jackets controlled the rest of the game to win 7-3. However, with a busy schedule ahead, the Rangers cannot afford to dwell on the loss.
“We have nine games in 15 or 16 days, we don’t have time to pout,” J.T. Miller remarked.
The Rangers begin a three-game road trip Tuesday in Winnipeg against the Jets, who are tied for the most points in the NHL (44-17-4, 92). Then it’s a trip to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday before a rematch against the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Saturday.