In the midst of the Tony DeAngelo saga, the Rangers returned to work on Sunday trying to end the problems of the third period.
Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins marked the fourth time in the last five games the Rangers had entered the third period with a goal lead, but they only have one win in that stretch.
“We can sit here and feel sorry for ourselves and feel bad about the situation, both in terms of results and everything,” center Mika Zibanejad said as the Rangers prepared to host the penguins Monday night at garden. “But after all, we have to move on.”
Defender Jacob Defba said Saturday night the Rangers were aware of their third-period struggles and did not want this to spill over their heads on the ice. But maybe it’s already happening.
“I mean no, but obviously [if] we win a couple of them, you have a little more confidence in those third periods, ”Zibanejad said.
Chris Krieder exposed the Rangers’ problems to the eye after the loss, noting their inability to stay in a north-south game and continue to get records behind the opposing defense in the third period. Zibanejad wasn’t sure why the Rangers were moving away from this style late in the games.
“I don’t know if we’re trying to protect the leadership defensively or I don’t know how I would say it,” he said. “But we have to keep playing. What this team does so well is pressure skating. Part of it, obviously, is playing northern hockey. It seems to me that we are moving a little away from that. We have to have confidence in that, to believe in what we are doing so well ”.
Colin Blackwell, who had moved from the taxi squad to the second-line right wing with three points in three games, will be out for 7-10 days after suffering an upper body injury Saturday night.
In Sunday’s absence, Kaapo Kakko skated with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome on the second line, while Julien Gauthier took Kakko’s place on the third line with Chris Kreider and Brett Howden.
Defender Jack Johnson, who has lost two games in a row with groin tension, did not practice and remains on a day-to-day basis.