It might be fair to say at this point that when the Rangers step on home ice, they might be in their own heads. Not having a home win and it being early November is an absurd stat that doesn’t seem to be getting any better. The Rangers got shutout on home ice again, despite a solid three game stretch out west. This is one of those stories that grows legs until the Rangers not just win at home, but actually put the puck in the back of the net.
Their most important forward (Artemi Panarin) was once again held off the scoresheet and now has only recorded points in 4 of 14 games. They made Pyotr Kochetkov look like a Vezina winner amassing only 25 total shots on net, but went a 28 minute stretch where a long range shot was the only one on net. It is so hard to tell which Rangers team is the real Rangers team in these games. It is frustrating to say the least.
It should be reiterated as said before, Panarin is looking to obtain top dollar as he looks for his next contract. Could someone remind Panarin that to deserve a top dollar contract, one must put up top dollar numbers? He used to be a legitimate threat anytime the puck was on his stick. Where is that player this season? How many more games do the Rangers win this year if Panarin actually looks like Panarin? We don’t know if his preseason injuries are still affecting him, but it is becoming hard to justify keeping Panarin beyond this year when he has been mostly a no-show.
The most frustrating part about this game was the Rangers came out of the gate and were immediately getting chances in the first period. The shots were at a point 13-5 Rangers. We were living in a bizarro world where the Rangers were doing their best Carolina impression against those same Hurricanes.
But as has been the case with the Rangers at home this year, Nikolaj Ehlers first goal as a Hurricane on the power play let the air out of the building. From that point on, the Rangers were not the same in the game, and quite frankly neither were the fans. It was a lot of here we go again. And here we went again.
Igor Shesterkin can make a bunch of saves, but at the end of the day, if the offense is putting up a bagel, the goalie can only do so much. I was very surprised that Mike Sullivan didn’t dress Jaroslav Chemlar, who the Rangers called up from Hartford. We’re at a point in the season where the players who have been in the lineup for 14 games don’t necessarily deserve the benefit of the doubt anymore. It might be time to shake things up a bit. Why don’t we start by scratching someone and putting in Chemlar?
This is a weird spot for the Rangers. They probably shouldn’t spend assets to improve the team, but you also necessarily don’t want to throw in the towel after 14 games and leak rumors of looking to sell assets. That didn’t work before and it won’t work again.
There are many things the Rangers could do internally to improve the team, but some of it is just letting the prospects cook in Hartford over the next month or so. Gabe Perreault was the AHL player of the week. That’s great, don’t rush him yet. If Perreault keeps getting AHL player of the week though, there may be a conversation needed in the organization to see if it would benefit Perreault to make the jump again. When he arrives, he needs to be an every day contributor. You don’t want to yo-yo this kind of prospect and ruin him in the process.
The good news is the next game is on the road, so maybe the Rangers will actually have a chance to win the game in Detroit.
More About: Game Wrap-ups