Rangers Recap: An early bump in the road

The Rangers were not going to remain undefeated this season, losing their first game in regulation last night to the defending Stanley Cup champions. Last night was the first sign of adversity, with defensive lapses, snake bitten shooters, and some shooting regression for the Panthers. It wasn’t a bad loss, though the Rangers looked sloppy for stretches, and if anything, it shows us that the Rangers can still skate with anyone.

The Rangers put themselves in a hole early with a sloppy start, giving the Panthers two open looks in front of Igor Shesterkin in the 90 seconds. It was certainly not the start that is indicative of Peter Laviolette hockey. Anton Lundell was left all alone in front, and later Carter Verhaeghe got his first of the season off what we can consider a softy by Shesterkin.

The Rangers pushed back after that start, with an Alexis Lafreniere goal cutting the lead in half. However that intensity did not carry over into the second and third periods. They had their chances, but Sergei Bobrovsky made their lives difficult, making some highlight reel saves and keeping Florida ahead.

One of the few bright spots for the Rangers was the consistent play of the third line. Though they didn’t score, it was pretty evident they were one of the better trios on either team. Filip Chytil is just loving life game after game, and his confidence is through the roof. He’s easily the catalyst on that line and the play driver, making solid reads and plays with the puck we didn’t think possible.

Last year’s Rangers rebounded after games like last night’s, and there is no reason to believe they won’t rebound again this year. They made defensive mistakes and Shesterkin couldn’t be the hero. It happens. It never felt like the Rangers were out of it, and a human Bobrovsky makes this game different. But he was spectacular, and the Panthers took what the Rangers gave them. Such is life. On to the next.