The New York Rangers have been on quite the rollercoaster this season. After a rough start as one of the NHL’s least effective goal-scoring teams, they finally found their scoring touch. Unfortunately, this resurgence came a bit late, as they were already on the brink of being knocked out of Stanley Cup Playoff contention and had traded away their star forward, Artemi Panarin.
Even with their recent scoring surge, the Rangers dropped their third consecutive game, this time falling 6-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This mirrored their previous night’s loss to the New Jersey Devils by the same score.
Rangers’ Offensive Turnaround on the Road
Madison Square Garden hasn’t been kind to the Rangers this season. They rank last in home goals and goals per game, and have been shut out in seven of their 17 home losses.
However, their road performance tells a different story. They’re ninth in the NHL for road goals per game, averaging 3.30, and have consistently hit the three-goal mark in their last five road games.
Since the Olympic break, the Rangers have been firing on all cylinders offensively. They’re sitting third in the NHL for PDO, a metric combining shooting and save percentages, thanks largely to Igor Shesterkin’s return from injury and an impressive 15.6% shooting percentage over their last 12 games.
Despite a middling record of 6-4-2 in these games, their expected-goals percentage is a low 44.1%. But players like Tye Kartye and Alexis Lafreniere have stepped up, with Kartye shooting an impressive 18.2% and Lafreniere hitting 25.9%, notching his 20th goal of the season.
Power Play Precision
The Rangers’ power play has been a bright spot. They’ve converted 10 of 31 opportunities, a 32.3% success rate, with Lafreniere adding a power-play goal early in the third period against Columbus.
Defensive Struggles Persist
However, all this offensive firepower can’t mask their defensive woes. Their penalty kill has faltered, allowing power-play goals in four straight games and killing just 66.7% of penalties recently.
Coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged the struggles, emphasizing the need for attention to detail after conceding two power-play goals to the Devils.
The Rangers were outshot 37-25 in Columbus, marking the fourth consecutive game they’ve allowed more shots than they’ve taken. The Blue Jackets also dominated shot attempts, a recurring theme as the Rangers have been out-attempted in seven of their last nine games.
With a low home shooting percentage of 8.79%, the Rangers are set to return to Madison Square Garden for nine of their next ten games, starting with a matchup against the Winnipeg Jets. They’ll need to bring their road scoring touch back home if they hope to turn things around.