The New York Rangers have now lost to one of the lowest ranked teams in the league twice in the last two weeks. After being defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 9, the Rangers have most recently fallen 2-0 against the Nashville Predators (9-17-6) on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The Rangers (now 15-15-1) have now lost three in a row and five of their last six games. They are 3-11-0 in their last 14 games.
Let's breakdown exactly how the Rangers got their latest loss with four key takeaways from the matchup.
1. Jimmy Vesey's 600th NHL Game
No. 26 Jimmy Vesey recorded his 600th career game while in Music City.
After making the starting lineup, the Massachusetts native tallied two hits and one takeaway in 11:06 of TOI.
Vesey was signed as a free agent by the Rangers on Oct. 9, 2022 after attending training camp on a professional tryout contract, and then getting a two-year deal Jan. 4, 2023.
As a whole so far this season, the 31-year-old has appeared in 17 games and logged three points across two goals and one assist.
That’s 6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for Jim. pic.twitter.com/9MISz1vlqC
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 18, 2024
2. The Huge Second Period Scrum
With around 10 minutes remaining in the second period, Will Cuylle took exception to a cross-check from Nashville's Luke Evangelista from behind. As a result, a huge scrum broke out which ended up with Cuylle dropping the gloves with Marc Del Gaizo.
It's worth mentioning that New York teammate Alexis Lafreniere jumped in pretty much immediately to help Cuylle out.
Will Cuylle: The heartbeat pic.twitter.com/wADDnEx1PT
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) December 18, 2024
Once the refs sorted out the penalties, the Rangers came out of it with a two-minute power play. Though, it appears Evangelista and Cuylle were still chirping at one another on the way to the penalty box.
The dynamic between Cuylle and Evangelista is especially interesting, as it has been reported that the pair work out together frequently during the off-season.
3. Shesty's Performance in the Net
Netminder Igor Shesterkin got the nod to play in goal tonight.
The $11.5 million goaltender finished the night with 30 saves and a .938 save percentage.
4. Not Enough
Going into the matchup, Nashville had three more losses than the Rangers. The Blueshirts also had seven more wins than the Predators going into the Tuesday night game.
On paper, it should have been a game New York won. But between the inability to defend the odd-man rush and an abundance of other problems, they didn't.
Up Next
The Rangers continue their road stretch and travel to Texas to take on the Dallas Stars on Friday, Dec. 20. Puck drop is slated for 8:00 p.m. EST and the matchup will be available for streaming via ESPN+.