SALT LAKE CITY
The Rangers held a slim lead against the NHL-leading Avalanche for two periods, but ultimately fell short in a 6-3 loss in Denver on Thursday night. Yet, even with the advantage, it didn’t feel like they had a solid grip on the game at any point.
This season has seen the Rangers in similar situations repeatedly. They’ve often found themselves just a play away from securing at least a point, sometimes even two, regardless of how they’ve performed overall.
Interestingly, in only nine out of their 22 games this year, the outcome has been decided by a single goal—five of those resulting in losses for the Rangers.
To be honest, the Rangers have spent a lot of time in tight contests, often finding themselves tied, battling through games that could swing either way. But, you know, the more you watch, the more it seems things just don’t go their way.
“It’s frustrating when you’re just one point behind,” said captain JT Miller after a 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights as they kicked off a three-game road trip. “I really wanted to contribute more. But honestly, I feel like I don’t need to change much. I’m close. It’s just the timing that’s off. When I start pushing too hard, it usually goes south for me. But I just gotta stay focused on my game and avoid getting too upset. The reality is we’ve lost a lot of one-goal games, and my production hasn’t been where it should be.”
This season, in 12 games, the Rangers have either been behind or tied by just one point heading into the final stretch of the game. Going into the third period against Colorado, the score was 2-2, so they had a record of 2-3-1 at that point.
Two of their wins—one in Seattle via overtime and another shootout win in Columbus—were notable, as both opponents walked away with points too.
“We scored a crucial power-play goal in the third to level things up, but immediately allowed a goal on the next shift,” head coach Mike Sullivan pointed out after the game. “Those moments are crucial, and we need to bring a higher level of intensity and awareness. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage that.”
Struggling to maintain leads has been a consistent issue for the Rangers, compounded by a lack of resilience in crucial moments.
Interestingly, their best displays include the come-from-behind wins, like the three-goal surge in the third period against Montreal and a tied game that led to an overtime victory in Edmonton.
You can sort of understand why, from a distance, it appears the Rangers might be on the brink of something good; the scoreboard often tells a different story. They’ve created numerous chances right from the start, with one more goal here and there potentially changing the dynamic of the game entirely.
But as the losses keep accumulating, it feels increasingly less relevant whether they were close games or not.
