Rangers doomed by brutal start in loss to Maple Leafs
They say the first minutes of a hockey game set the tone, and the Rangers came out with a losers pace in Tuesdays matchup against one of the other top teams in the East, the Maple Leafs.
So it didnt matter that the Blueshirts pulled within one twice, because this game a 7-3 loss in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden was out of their hands by the end of the first period.
The Rangers simply could not recover from a beyond lethargic opening 20 minutes, over which they were limited to just four shots on goal and fell into a 4-1 hole.
The first period really put us in a bad spot for the rest of the game, said Mika Zibanejad, who scored one of the Rangers two goals in the second period on the power play.
Losers of three of their last four, the Rangers have now been outscored 7-1 in their last four first periods.
Slow starts are getting dangerously close to becoming habitual for the Rangers, who are experiencing their first real slip of the season 27 games in.
The Maple Leafs instantly pummeled the Rangers, who were without defenseman KAndre Miller due to personal reasons, as well as Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil (both on long-term injured reserve).
4Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers defends the net. Jason Szenes /New York PostThe visiting team had its way with the puck and jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the first 5:07 off goals from Auston Matthews and Conor Timmins, whose long wrister from the top of the zone somehow made it past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.
Blake Wheelers 2-1 score hardly resulted in any momentum for the Rangers, who gave up two more goals in the span of 21 seconds later in the first.
It marked one of their worst periods of the season.
4Jimmy Vesey #26 of the New York Rangers tries to maintain control of the puck as William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs tries to steal it. Jason Szenes /New York PostI dont think we were very sharp, I dont think it was our best period, head coach Peter Laviolette said after the Rangers gave up a season-high seven goals. Playing a good team, they were quicker than us in the first period. The chances that they generated, they capitalized on.
And yet, the Rangers are still finding ways to keep themselves in games.
Wheeler broke out with his first two-goal performance as a Ranger, including a crucial score late in the middle frame that made it a 4-3 game.
4Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers reacts on the ice during the second period. Jason Szenes /New York PostShesterkin, who had a shaky first period without much help from the players in front him, made a big-time save on Bobby McMann on Torontos odd-man rush while the Rangers were changing.
That sent the Rangers the other way, allowing Zibanejad to feed a streaking Wheeler for his second goal of the game, a gorgeous snipe from the right faceoff circle.
Wheeler let out an emphatic scream in the Swedish centers direction before the two came together to celebrate.
4John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks for an opening during the second period against the Rangers on Tuesday. Jason Szenes /New York PostAt that point, it was just up to the Rangers to go out and win a third period, Laviolette said.
Instead, Erik Gustafsson took an interference penalty early on to send Toronto on the power play, where Mitchell Marner scored his second of the night.
Matthews recorded his second goal of the game later in the period before David Kampf scored an empty-netter to seal the win.
Theyre a dangerous team, Laviolette said of the Maple Leafs, who are ranked fourth in the NHL with 35 points. Theres a couple of nice goals. Theres a couple of breakdowns. We had a breakdown in the neutral zone on one of the goals. We had a breakdown in front of our net on one of the goals.
They scored a couple nice goals through the course of the night and thats enough to add up to us not being where we need to be.
How many decks are used in poker?
In most popular poker variants, such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha, a standard deck of 52 playing cards is used. Each deck contains four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) and consists of 13 ranks (Ace, 2 through 10, and the face cards: Jack, Queen, and King).
What is the bonus code for WPT Global Poker 2023?
The best bonus code for WPT Global is WPT777. By entering the bonus code, players will get a welcome bonus 100% up to $1,200 on the first deposit. The minimum deposit is $20.
What is the best WPT Global bonus code?
Use the WPT Global bonus code WPT777 when registering to get a 100% deposit bonus up to $1200 plus a $100 No Deposit poker bonus.
