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3 things New York Rangers did wrong in Game 4 against Carolina Hurricanes
The New York Rangers dropped game 4 on Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. In the process, they missed out on the opportunity to finish off the series.
With the New York Rangers still very much in control of the series, the Hurricanes will look to force a game 6 back home in Raleigh.
In the meantime, it’s worth looking into what went wrong for the Rangers on Saturday. Here are three key things that didn’t go right for the New York Rangers:
Three things the New York Rangers got wrong in game 4
#1 The Rangers’ penalty kill faltered at the worst time
The New York Rangers’ penalty has been quite efficient throughout the series. The Canes had been 0 of 15 heading into game 4.
However, the Hurricanes went 1 for 2 with the man advantage. In particular, the Rangers gave up a powerplay marker at 16:49 of the third period. The goal by Brady Skjei, his first of the postseason, would become the game-winner.
The Hurricanes deserve credit as far as staying focused on the powerplay ans not letting New York’s strong penalty kill frustrate them.
As for the Rangers, they were disciplined, giving up only two powerplay opportunities. Yet, the only goal with the man advantage sealed the game for Carolina.
#2 The Rangers’ top players were ineffective
New York’s top scorers had a quiet night. In fact, the Breadman, Artemi Panarin, had a tough game.
He was a minus 3, managing only one shot on goal. While Alexis Lafreniere scored to tie the game early in the third, he was still a minus-1.
Mika Zibanejad played for over 20 minutes but had only one assist and one shot on goal to show for his performance on the night.
Then, there’s Igor Shesterkin. Shesterkin looked human, giving up four goals on 31 shots. While he kept the Rangers in the game, he was unable to steal it.
The game proves that if the top guys don’t score, and if Shesterkin cannot steal games, the New York Rangers become vulnerable despite depth scoring from players like Will Cuylle and Barclay Goodrow.
#3 The Rangers relied too heavily on their top six
New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette overplayed his top elements.
Zibanejad played over 20 minutes, while Adam Fox played 24 and K’Andre Miller nearly 21. In contrast, forwards Jimmy Vesey played a little over nine minutes and Jonny Brodzinski 8:49.
While it’s true that coaches tend to shorten their benches in tight games, the Rangers need to deploy four effective lines to counteract Carolina’s balanced approach.
Carolina’s depth proved to be the difference. Only Seth Jarvis played over 20 minutes, while Evgeny Kuznetsov played just over eight minutes but scored the game’s first goal.
Game 5 is set for Monday night in New York. The Rangers will look to close out the series, while the Canes will try to force a game 6.
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