The New York Rangers looked a step slow all night and didn’t deserve a win Wednesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. But they didn’t. Spencer Knight made 21 saves and the Blackhawks defeated the Rangers 3-0 at the United Center.
It was Rangers’ sixth clean sheet defeat in 32 games this season and their first defeat away from home. Knight was sharp, though it wasn’t a laborious game for the 24-year-old goaltender, who earned his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career. He faced just four shots in the third period, two of which were close range chances from Noah Raba in Knight’s penalty area to make it 1-2.
Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves for the Rangers, who are winless in their past three games (0-1-2). Connor Bedard had a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks, who gave up 13 goals in consecutive losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks over the weekend and appear committed to a better all-around game on Wednesday.
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Tyler Bertuzzi and Luis Creville also scored for Chicago.
Neither side scored a goal in the first quarter, but both sides nearly scored on several occasions. Shesterkin made a diving block save to deny Andrei Burakovsky a rebound attempt at 3:15, and he had a chance three minutes later after receiving a cross-ice pass from Bedard.
About 30 seconds after Shesterkin made the crucial save, the Rangers were inches away from scoring their first goal of the game. In between circles, JT Miller deflected Scott Morrow’s pass/shot inside the blue line, but it hit the post. Then at 11:20, Mika Zibanejad broke through and although he beat Knight between the pads, his shot went wide of the net.
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The Rangers trailed 10-6 after a scoreless first quarter, but started strong in the second quarter. Knight made two clutch pad saves in the first round, one on a double team from Miller and another on a push back from Connor Sheary. New York beat Matthew Robertson’s possession at 2:31 and had their first power play at 5:25.
Not only did the Rangers fail to make any good plays on the power play, but they gave up a shorthanded goal at 7:08 to fall behind 1-0. With Crevier hiding behind the Rangers’ front five on the ice, the 6-foot-8 Chicago defenseman used his length to push a backhand shot past Shesterkin’s poke. It was Krewell’s third goal, the first of his career and first in the past 20 games.
Chicago nearly doubled its lead at 10:40 when Ryan Donato sprinted up the middle and buried Burakovsky’s chip in the slot. But video review confirmed Wanderers’ challenge, arguing they misplaced a pass in front of the goal and the score remained 1-0.
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Or at least that was the case until Bedard took a Shester Gold Glove pass from Burakovsky over the top at 14:27. It was Bedard’s 19th goal of the season and his first in four career games against the Rangers.
Bedard was involved in the next goal, giving the Blackhawks a 3-0 lead at 3:52 of the third period. He sprinted to the center and passed the puck to Ryan Green, who put the puck between his legs and shot. Bertuzzi grabbed the rebound and flipped the puck past the waiting Shesterkin for his 16th goal and fourth in the past six games.
Alexis Lafreniere nearly ended Knight’s buzzer-beating run at 11:15, but his gorgeous one-on-one move resulted in a backhand that hit the crossbar.
Key takeaways from New York Rangers’ 3-0 loss to Chicago Blackhawks
David Banks – Image
trap game
The Rangers say all the right things in this game, don’t take the Blackhawks for granted and don’t view the Blackhawks as a lesser challenge than the top teams in the NHL they faced last week and played well last week. They promised that their performance and intensity wouldn’t drop after big games against the Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights.
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But it feels a bit like a trap game. The struggling opponent — Chicago was 2-6-2 in its previous 10 games — was badly beaten over the weekend. Additionally, the Rangers have two days off between games and have another two days off before hosting the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. So maybe they took their foot off the gas pedal.
Rest and feel confident. Then, almost from the first puck drop, they were outplayed by a hungrier opponent, perhaps motivated even more by their recent embarrassment. Trap game or maybe just an off night. Either way, Rangers missed an opportunity to score two points.
failed vision test
Analytics and basic numbers tell you that the Rangers vs. Blackhawks are about evenly matched. According to Natural Stat Trick, New York has a 12-10 edge in high-danger chances and a 48.5% expected goals share at 5v5. Even the field goal was close, with Chicago leading 25-21. The Blackhawks took 52-49 shots. It all seems to be going just fine for the Rangers.
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Unless you watched the game, you’ll notice that the Blackhawks are much faster than the Rangers. Travel through center ice faster. Get to the puck faster. Make decisions faster. That’s the main takeaway from this loss. The Rangers looked slower in every aspect of the game. That, and Chicago showed more hunger.
Of course, the Rangers held a decisive 36-12 advantage in the hit category. This says something. But all these blows haven’t slowed down a fiercely loyal opponent. That said something else.
This game and result is an example of trusting your eyes and trusting what you see.
Powerless
Not only were the Rangers 0-for-3 on the power play, but the shots they took shorthanded were devastating. That broke a scoreless tie, allowed the Blackhawks to hit the road with extra confidence, and got the fans at the United Center into the game.
David Banks – Image
It was the first time a shorter man was allowed to play in a five-forward PP1 lineup deployed during Adam Fox’s injury absence. Zibanejad lost a puck battle outside the offensive blueline; Vincent Trocheck came late and couldn’t help. Artemi Panarin skated around in the neutral zone, unaware that Crevier was behind him at the other blue line. All of which led directly to the third shorthanded goal New York has given up this season.
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Morrow moved to the top power play late in the game and will likely be at quarterback in the next game against the Canadiens. Trocheck had New York’s only field goal during Wednesday’s six minutes of power play, a prime scoring opportunity late in the third quarter. The Rangers are currently 0-for-11 on the man advantage in the five games Fox has missed with an upper-body injury.
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