How are the Rangers 2-2?

After 4 games, the New York Rangers are 2-2. However, their play has not resembled their record. In their first four games, they have allowed a total of 5 goals with two of them being empty-netters in their season opener against Pittsburgh.  So after 4 games, they have allowed 3, yes 3, goals with a goalie in net. So how in the world are they 2-2? 

In the first game against Pittsburgh, the score was 0-0 up until 19:30 of the first period. During a faceoff in the Rangers Zone, Alexis Lafrenière mistakenly played up and allowed Justin Brazeau to go 1 on 1 with Igor Shesterkin right in front of the net. He ended up making a nice move to get past the stick of Shesterkin and buried it in the roof of the net. That was all the Penguins were able to get on Shesterkin as they were able to score 2 empty netters at the end of the third period to win the game 3-0. So how didn’t the Rangers score? To be honest, it was a mixture of things. The Rangers were sloppy, giving Pittsburgh high scoring chances which most likely should’ve been goals had Pittsburgh played any other goalie. They were getting the pucks on net but it just wasn’t enough high quality shots on an inexperienced goalie. Although Artus Silovs played well, he was just good enough to hold off the Rangers and what has been their worst game so far.

During games 2-3 against the Sabers and Penguins again, the Rangers played their best hockey. They completely dominated the Sabers winning 4-0 and everybody played their role on the team. During this 2 game stretch, the Rangers played to the absolute best, even though Vincent Trocheck ended up getting injured. The Rangers have had 8 different goalscorers this season but Adam Fox has taken a leap offensively. Fox is already a top 3 defensemen in the league but by taking this huge step offensively, he is an early Norris trophy contender. There really isn’t much for the Rangers to complain about for these 2 games.

Sunday, against the Washington Capitals, the Rangers once again failed to score. They lost 1-0 in Jonathan Quick’s first start of the season. The Rangers faced Charlie Lindgren, brother of former Rangers defensemen Ryan Lindgren, who always seems to own them. He had over 3.5gSAX which means the rangers were projected to score over 3 goals. The Rangers played another great game defensively, they are doing just enough to let their goalies do their part. However, if the Rangers want their season trajectory to change, they need to find a way to start putting pucks to the net and actually finding ways to score. Over the past few ways, the Rangers have missed their true 5 on 5 scorer. However, with Mike Sullivan, a 2 time Stanley Cup Champion as coach, at the helm, Rangers fans can only hope that they figure a way out and unlock the key potential of this team.