The Rangers’ last two games before Friday’s trade deadline were against top-ranked opponents who are well-liked to make the playoffs.
Both were tense and intense contests. Both games entered the third period tied. Both were losses.
Monday night’s 4-2 loss to the Panthers, the team to beat in the East, will directly determine the importance of the moves the Blueshirts make over the next four days and whether they can continue to compete consistently. I just reconfirmed how to do it. Other potential teams aiming for the Stanley Cup.
“I think we can play against anyone,” Vincent Trocheck said. “The question is, can we always change our ways when something goes wrong? I think tonight they did a very good job of staying on top of us, and whenever a team does that, it’s hard to get into the offensive zone.” We definitely have to find ways to play that time differently. We didn’t do a great job of that tonight.”
The scoreboard read 2-2 at the start of the final frame, but the period ended up being the only period played entirely 5-on-5.
Florida stringed together several dangerous scoring chances off the rush all night, but didn’t convert into a goal until 6:11 into the third period.
The visitors regained the lead when Ryan Romberg’s long shot from the wrist went past Rangers goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin.
Shesterkin played solidly, ultimately finishing with one fewer save than fellow Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 26 of the Rangers’ 28 shots.
The final shot missed Jacob Trouba’s skates and appeared to catch Shesterkin by surprise.
“There was a missed call that caused things like this to happen,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of Panthers forward Kevin Stenlund holding Johnny Brodzinski at the other end just before Florida’s go-ahead goal. It happened,” he said. “The puck turned over, but they came right back on the rush.”
This game had bite from the start. The hits were hard and there was a lot of it.
Artemi Panarin also threw his body out to finish his check.
As a result, special teams generated the bulk of the action through the first two periods.
Adam Fox checked Matthew Tkachuk along the boards in the opening frame, which angered Sam Bennett and prompted Trocheck to rush into backup. Former Ranger Niko Mikkola also took part in pinning Fox and Trocheck to the Panthers bench, with Tkachuk ultimately sent to the box for rafting.
In the final seconds of the Rangers’ first power play, Will Quill stuffed in the rebound to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Sam Reinhart’s two goals gave the Panthers their first lead of the night 12:56 into the second period, with the first goal coming on a Florida power play.
Panthers forward Anton Randell then drew blood from Braden Schneider with a high stick, leading to a four-minute power play for the Rangers.
Chris Kreider then grabbed a rebound from a Trocheck shot and got it past Bobrovsky to seal the game at two-all.
“I thought we had some chances throughout the game that we could have grabbed it,” Kreider said. “At times I think we gave them a little too much time and space. What we did well was checking well and closing the puck quickly and moving forward.”
The loss was the Rangers’ second in a row and second in a month with many benchmark opponents.
Toronto and Florida were just the beginning.
Fortunately for the Rangers, there could be some new faces in the lineup by the time they next play against the Blues on Saturday.
