New York Rangers: Good game, bad loss 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues

The New York Rangers came back impressively from their lost weekend against the Flyers, but it wasn’t enough as they dropped a 3-1 heartbreaker to the St. Louis Blues.

Time could be running out for the New York Rangers as they played a disciplined, structured game, but lost on a bad goal in the third period.  For most of the game the Rangers stayed even with the defending Stanley Cup Champions and matched them play for play and an empty net goal made it a 3-1 final.

If you wanted a playoff atmosphere and level of play, you got it tonight at Madison Square Garden.  To their credit, the Rangers held the Blues to only 22 shots and for two and a half periods, the only goals were one power play goal for each team.

The Blueshirts had more shot attempts, more shots on goal and more high danger scoring chances, but in the end, it was a Brayden Schenn wraparound shot that he just put on net that bounced off Alexandar Georgiev‘s leg and into the net.

For the third straight game, the Rangers lost an opportunity to gain ground on their playoff rivals, an opportunity that hurts even more with the Islanders dropping a 6-2 decision to Montreal. They remain four points behind Columbus with only one game in hand and are one point behind Carolina in two additional games.

When it comes to the fight for a playoff spot, it’s getting to the point where the Rangers cannot afford to lose, a tough predicament with the Washington Capitals coming to town on Thursday.

The Rangers can be proud of their effort in this game, but effort isn’t worth that much when the result is a loss. The St. Louis Blues demonstrated why they are the champions, scoring the key goal they needed despite being outplayed.