Rangers get blown out by Vegas 5-1

About the game

The game started with a fast paced first period that felt like a playoff game.  The teams traded chances with best chance for Vegas a two-on-one break midway through the period.   Georgiev stopped Mark Stone and then made the save on a rebound attempt by Alex Pietrangelo.

That came right after Lehner absolutely stoned Chris Kreider on a point blank shot from the slot.

The Blueshirts got the first power play on a Shea Theodore hook and they spent most of the two minutes in the VGK zone.  Both PP units looked solid and Zac Jones came inches from scoring when his shot hit the post after a nice feed from Alexis Lafrenière.

Of course, Ryan Lindgren was then called for a trip and Vegas made the Rangers pay.  Georgiev made some tough saves, but Jonathan Marchessault got to a rebound and put it in the  Rangers net with just 1:25 left in the period, giving Vegas the 1-0 lead.

The Rangers outhit Vegas 20-3, though they were outshot 11-8.  It was a pretty even period and could easily have ended 1-1 or scoreless.

As well as the Rangers played in the first, they were outplayed in the second period.  It got off to a great start when Chris Kreider scored just 52 seconds into the period on a snapshot that fooled Lehner.

Things were looking good, but it all turned south as Vegas dominated the rest of the way.  They were quick on the counterattack and swarmed the Rangers when in the offensive zone.

At 8:14, Mark Stone scored to put Vegas ahead.  Stone directed the puck into the net with his skate off a pass from Chandler Stephenson.

Georgiev immediate waved the goal off and the referees went to video replay but the call on the ice stood. It was a key call as it was the go-ahead goal and despite the fact that Gallant later said that he thought it was a good goal, there’s reason to question the ruling.  More on that later.

At the 13 minute mark, Zac Jones failed to get the puck deep in the Vegas zone and they countered with a beautiful goal by Mattias Janmark that Georgiev didn’t play well.

Vegas had 13 shots to only seven for the Rangers.  Georgiev held the Rangers in the game, but trailing 3-1 going into the third period, the Blueshirts had come back only once in eight games this season after trailing after two periods.

It wasn’t to be as Vegas added two third goals that were stoppable.  Two minutes in it was, who else, Brett Howden who scored the fourth goal.  Marchessault scored his second goal of the game with seven minutes to go.

The demoralizing fact was that the Rangers were able to muster only four shots in third period.  They got a very late power play and couldn’t do anything with it and it was cut short when Jacob Trouba had to take a penalty to prevent a breakaway.

Here’s a video recap of the game if you can bear watching.

Stinkers happen, especially when you play an elite team on the road.  The question is whether they will rebound on Saturday in Anaheim, against the second best team in the Pacific Division.

Notes on the game

The Golden Knights outscored the Rangers 2-1 in the second period and came into the game third in goals scored in the second period and first in the NHL in third period goals with 47.

The Rangers were held to 19 shots. They had been held to 18 shots in two games earlier this season.  They’ve been held to less than 30 shots in five of their last six games.

This was only the third time this season that they have allowed a team to hit double figures in shots in all three periods.

Dryden Hunt left the ice in the third period with what looked like some kind of leg injury.  No word on what happened.

There were video tributes to Gallant and Ryan Reaves before the game.

After the game Reaves said he was thrown off a bit by the video and it affected him.

Reaves was visibly angry at the end of the game.

The only goal was scored by Chris Kreider and it wasn’t a tip-in.  It was his 21st of the season and keeps him tied for third in the NHL behind Leon Draisaitl and Alex Ovechkin.

It was a tough night for Libor Hajek and Zac Jones. Hajek was -4 and Jones was -3 for the game. They got little support from their forwards so it wasn’t entirely on them.

The Rangers had 45 hits to 17 for Vegas. That tied their season high, set against Ottawa back in October.

The faceoff battle was a close one with Vegas winning 25 to 22 for the Rangers.  Of course it was Brett Howden who won nine of 12 draws for Vegas.

Howden scored the Knights fourth goal, his second goal in two games against the Rangers. The ex-Ranger has four goals and 10 points this season with two goals and one assist coming against the Blueshirts.

The lack of depth for the Rangers can get ugly in a game like this.  The bottom six had no points and only two shots and were a combined -9.  With Panarin out and Hunt ineffective on the top six, it forces Gallant to move Lafrenière and Goodrow into the top six, further weakening the bottom six.

Julien Gauthier has two goals and three assists in 26 games and has one goal in his last 19 games. Filip Chytil had one goal and three assists in his last 20 games. Dryden Hunt hasn’t scored a goal in 14 games  Ryan Reaves has not scored a goal yet in 30 games and has not had a point in 10 games.  Greg McKegg has no goals and one assist in 15 games. Kevin Rooney has one  goal and one assist in his last 13 games.  As we said, it’s ugly.

Morgan Barron is on the active roster, could we possibly see him in the lineup on this trip?

The Rangers ended the season series with Vegas with a 0-1-1 record, salvaging one point.

The Blueshirts have taken nine of 18 possible points against Pacific Division teams, their worst record against any of the four Divisions.

Should the Mark Stone goal have counted?  Take a look.

Here is the official NHL rule wording from rule 37.4:  Plays that involve a puck entering the net as a direct result of a “distinct kicking motion” shall be ruled NO GOAL.   A “distinct kicking motion,” for purposes of Video Review, is one where the video makes clear that an attacking Player has deliberately propelled the puck with a kick of his foot or skate and the puck subsequently enters the net. A goal cannot be scored on a play where an attacking Player propels the puck with his skate into the net (even by means of a subsequent deflection off of another Player) using a “distinct kicking motion.” A puck that deflects into the net off an attacking Player’s skate who does not use a “distinct kicking motion” shall be ruled a GOAL. A puck that is directed into the net by an attacking Players’ skate shall also be ruled a GOAL, as long as no “distinct kicking motion” is evident.  Sorry folks, despite the fact that they don’t answer the question of what a “distinct kicking motion is”,  it sure looks like Stone propelled the puck into the net with a kick of his skate.  Just another example of inconsistent and unclear officiating in the NHL.

My 3 Rangers stars

1. Chris Kreider scored the only Rangers goal and led all forwards with five shots.  He not only scored, but had the best scoring chance for the Rangers when he was stopped by Robin Lehner in the first period.  He also threw four hits.
2. Barclay Goodrow was one of the few Rangers forwards who was noticeable in this game.  He led the team with six hits and had three shots.  He also won four of seven faceoffs.
3. Jacob Trouba did his best to try to get this team going with four hits and five shots.  He wasn’t on ice for any even strength goal against.

The official 3 stars

1. Jonathan Marchessault – Golden Knights
2. Mattias Janmark – Golden Knights
3. Brett Howden – Golden Knights

What’s next

This road trip continues on the west coast as the Rangers head to Anaheim to play the team behind Vegas in the standings, the Anaheim Ducks.  It’s the first of three games in California and they hope to get Artemi Panarin back from the protocol for Saturday night’s game.

There are some questions about whether the game will be played.  Detroit’s game in Anaheim tonight was postponed due to COVID issues affecting the Ducks.  It was rescheduled for Sunday night.   The Ducks have eight players in the COVID protocol with only one sure to come off by Saturday.  We’ll know more as we get closer to Saturday night.