New York Rangers came close but not close enough against the Maple Leafs

The New York Rangers host an original six game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they lose. The Rangers start the game slow, with the Maple Leafs scoring quickly. But things turned around with two superb goals by Ranger players Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle. These goals kept the game exciting until the end, but it wasn’t enough.

The Rangers were coming off two back-to-back wins. They had just beaten the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders. The momentum was there to get another win in this original six game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs were also on a winning streak with three wins. With both teams wanting the win, this would be a challenging game for the Rangers to succeed with the Maple Leaf’s record, and Chris Kreider and Adam Fox were out with upper-body injuries.

The game quickly started with Zibanejad getting called on a tripping penalty within the first minute. This power play for the Maple Leafs gave them their first goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Rangers lacked focus and started slow until Zibanejad came out with redemption from taking that penalty, giving the Rangers a goal to tie the game. Will Borgen and J.T. Miller assisted his tip-in-shot. The first period ended with a tie of 1-1, and suspense was on the ice awaiting the second period.

It must have been deja vu because the Rangers started with another penalty in the early minutes of the second period. Ryan Lingren was in the box for interference. But unlike the first period, the Rangers were not able to score.

Igor Shesterkin made a mistake at the beginning of the second. The puck barely passed the line, but he accidentally brushed it with his left hand and slid it past the line because he didn't see it. The referees almost immediately called it a good goal for William Nylander, and this goal put the Leafs ahead of the Rangers.

In the third, the Rangers are down a player because of a cross-checking penalty by Sam Carrick, and Toronto is fighting to get another puck in the back of the net. Cuylle owns the puck with help from Zibanejad and makes a goal, bringing the Rangers to two. Cuylle gives the team a beautiful shorty with much-needed power because he slams into the net after making the goal. This goal thus ties the game for the start of the third. 

Matthew Knies scored to bring Toronto ahead. Near the end of the third, the Rangers tried for an open net while receiving an extra player on the ice. Their luck ran short, with the Maple Leafs desperately trying to make an open net goal. The Leafs didn’t succeed, and neither did the Rangers, as they lost with a score of 3-2.

If the Rangers can secure a wildcard spot, all games now count. The players even know this in their post-game interviews. Most of them know these are the games that matter and that they need to be able to win.

"Obviously felt like we deserved better overall tonight. We outshot them 2-1 so it stings obviously. We did a lot of good things, but some bad breakdowns and we need the two points this late in the season and where we are at in the standings, it hurts."

Will Cuylle

Even with this unfortunate loss, at least it wasn’t a shutout. The Rangers did have good energy but then lost it. The Blueshirts are now four points away from the wildcard spot. They need to learn from their mistakes and shake them off but prepare for the next two games, which are back-to-back. They will need the most strength and exhilarating energy to win against these two teams. They play the Nashville Predators on March 2nd at 7:00 p.m. EST and then the New York Islanders on March 3rd at 7:00 p.m. EST. If they win these games, it will mean a strong start to March, and hopefully, it will encourage the team to push through all the way to the playoffs if they are to get a wildcard spot.