The New York Rangers were on track to win their second straight game on Sunday until their defense fell apart.
Still trying to find consistency, the Rangers now have the opportunity to recover from one of their worst defensive performances of the season when they face the NHL’s worst team, the Chicago Blackhawks, on Monday.
The Rangers have a record of 2-7-0 in their last nine games, with the two wins being followed by poor defensive efforts.
New York ended a five-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 30, but then lost 5-1 to the New Jersey Devils two days later. They won 4-2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, only to suffer a 7-5 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday afternoon.
Reilly Smith, Filip Chytil, and Vincent Trocheck scored in the first 24:47 of the game, but the Rangers then allowed five unanswered goals. They lost their lead in the last 5:54 of the second period, letting the Kraken move freely through their offensive zone and take advantage of New York’s 12 turnovers.
“The goals were the chances, that was it,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “We had the pieces in place and when it came down to the point where it had to be defended, it got loose. Definitely not what you’re looking for, you’re in charge of a game 3-1 and like I said, the chances were the goals. We could’ve been tighter and better in those situations.”
It was the first time the Rangers allowed seven goals since Dec. 12, 2023, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. New York has given up at least six goals five times in the first 26 games, which is one less than the total from last season, when the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy with 114 points.
New York is 7-1-0 in the last eight matchups with the Blackhawks, who are playing their second game since firing coach Luke Richardson and hiring Anders Sorensen as his replacement.
Chicago has scored just 66 goals, the third-lowest total in the NHL, and has been outscored 21-10 during a five-game losing streak. This streak continued with a 4-2 home loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, where the Blackhawks couldn’t capitalize after defensemen Alex Vlasic and Alec Martinez scored in the first period.
The Blackhawks were held to two goals or fewer for the third consecutive game and for the 18th time this season. They also had a season-low 14 shots on goal.
“We’re going to have to keep working at this,” said Chicago captain Nick Foligno. “It’s not just going to turn around in one day. Obviously, we would like it to. It would have been nice to get him (Sorensen) that first win. But we’re going to find a way to get it in New York.”
The Blackhawks are also dealing with injuries. Goalie Petr Mrazek was placed on injured reserve with a left groin injury on Sunday, and Martinez did not practice after taking a puck to the neck in the game against Winnipeg.
