FEELING THE BLUES
You might get many different responses about when it is no longer still “early” in a season, and now at 1-3 after a 3-1 loss to the Blues Tuesday at the Garden, it’s not as if the Rangers don’t have plenty of time to get themselves going.
But there is a level of concern creeping in after another poor start and a lack of consistent even-strength offense.
“Well, yeah. It’s a tough question to answer, but there has to be (concern,) right?” Rick Nash said. “With all these home games early on, these are the games when you get to March and April that really mean something. So I think there’s definitely an urgency to fix this and start winning some games.”
They fell behind just 15 seconds into the game after turning the puck over in their own end, with Carl Gunnarsson capitalizing for the opening tally. This after falling behind 2-0 on opening night and 5-1 in the first period on Saturday.
Mika Zibanejad struck on the power play about two minutes later. Four of Zibanejad’s five goals this season have come with a man-advantage, and he became just the second Ranger ever to score at least one goal in each of the club’s first four games; Rick Nash was the first in 2014-15. Brayden Schenn’s power-play goal later in the first put St. Louis ahead.
And though the power play has thrived with Kevin Shattenkirk, the Rangers have five even-strength goals through four games and for the first two periods on Tuesday generated little. Carter Hutton (32 saves) then stopped all 16 of the Rangers’ third-period shots.
“I don’t think there’s any rhyme or reason to it,” Shattenkirk said of the team’s poor starts. “We need to focus early on, on making simple plays, getting pucks in their zone, grinding away a little bit. I think we’re trying to make it look like an All-Star Game out there too early on, when we haven’t established our identity which is getting pucks in and going to work.”
The Metropolitan Division could be even more competitive than last season, and lost points now hurt just as much as they do at any point down the stretch.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Game 4 or 74. We’ve lost a few games here,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who made 20 saves. “It’s important that we get the urgency and realize how important the next game is and the game after that. We have to see it as a big game every night. It’s gonna be a tight race this year. If you want to be in it when it comes down to it, you have to be ready now even though it’s October.”
FILIP SENT DOWN: The Rangers on Tuesday assigned rookie center Filip Chytil to AHL Hartford, where he’ll play this weekend, after he was scratched on Sunday. He wasn’t sent to his Czech club because the team may bring him back up. … Brendan Smith was scratched for the second straight game and Tony DeAngelo sat for the first time.