{"id":360798,"date":"2025-12-17T15:02:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T15:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/360798\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T15:02:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T15:02:16","slug":"same-thing-every-game-rangers-seek-answers-after-6th-home-shutout-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/360798\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Same thing every game\u2019: Rangers seek answers after 6th home shutout loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps the biggest cheer at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night came after the announcement that there was one minute remaining in what turned out to be a 3-0 loss by the New York Rangers<\/a> to the Vancouver Canucks.<\/p>\n

Before that, the Rangers spent most of the evening being booed during their sixth shutout defeat in 17 home games (4-10-3) \u2013 this one against the team that began the night last in the NHL standings<\/a>. Despite allowing just 17 shots on goal and out-attempting the Canucks 60-34,<\/a> the Rangers again came up empty \u2013 and were left frustrated.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe feel good during the game, but right now it (stinks),\u201d captain J.T. Miller<\/a> said after New York dropped to 1-3-2 in its past six games overall. \u201cThis can\u2019t be the standard we expect to play to. Go home tonight and feel we outplayed the other team. We didn\u2019t score. To come up 0-2 this week at home, it (stinks). Same thing every game, it feels like.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the second straight night, the Rangers failed to turn opportunities into goals in front of their home fans. They had the better of play in a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks<\/a> on Monday and did the same for much of the night against the Canucks \u2013 but have now scored one goal or fewer in 13 of their 35 games this season \u2013 including 10 of 17 at The Garden.<\/p>\n

Coach Mike Sullivan\u2019s concern about the Rangers\u2019 offensive struggles continues to grow.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf I had the solution, we would certainly bring it,\u201d he said postgame.<\/a> \u201cWe\u2019re doing our best to control the process, because that\u2019s really, at the end of the day, what\u2019s within our control. I thought we defended hard tonight. They had a few looks. Their first goal was a little unfortunate. After that, they had a few looks, but not a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we defended hard. I thought we controlled territory. We had a significant amount of O-zone time. The power play had a lot of good looks. So, I feel like we\u2019re trying to solve it, for sure. But is it a little bit concerning at this point? Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NHL:<\/p>\n

Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Adam Fox<\/a>-less power play continued to produce nothing but short-handed goals for the other team. Conor Garland\u2019s empty-netter was the third short-handed goal the Rangers allowed since Sullivan opted for a five-forward first unit after Fox went down with a left arm injury on Nov. 29 and landed on long-term injured reserve soon after.<\/p>\n

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The Rangers were 0-for-4 with the extra man against Vancouver, and the five-forward group hasn\u2019t scored on 21 power plays in the seven games since the injury to Fox.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we did a better job today,\u201d said center Mika Zibanejad,<\/a> one of the five-forward PP1 unit. \u201cI would say it\u2019s a good job if we score and we win. A better job of creating chances. We\u2019ve got to find a way to get a few for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rangers look for goals, answers after shutout loss to Canucks<\/p>\n

One challenge for Sullivan and his players continues to be keeping morale up on a team that struggles to put the puck in the net, especially at home.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe can score goals,\u201d said Zibanejad, who returned after being scratched Monday<\/a> for missing a team meeting. \u201cHow many games have we played on the road that we\u2019ve shown that we can score? I\u2019d be more worried if it\u2019s all through the season. I don\u2019t know what else to say. I just wish we scored more goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to find a way to add on to what we did today and maybe be a little bit more desperate and more resilient in front of their net and force that puck to go in. That\u2019s what I see from tonight\u2019s game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NHL:<\/p>\n

Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

To Miller, the answer is just to work harder.<\/p>\n

\u201cBear down,\u201d he said. \u201cLike myself, I had chance after chance, I feel like. It\u2019s just not enough. It\u2019s not enough to my standard, it\u2019s not enough to the team\u2019s standard to just play well, outplay the other team and not bury your chances. We deserve better a lot of these nights, but that being said we\u2019re not bearing down and the other teams are. We\u2019re kind of stuck. Win three, lose a couple, win three, and we are where we are. It\u2019s very frustrating.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m just (angry). You feel like you work so hard and you make a lot of plays and a lot of nights, I feel like we\u2019re outplaying the other team, and we end up in here (angry) because we didn\u2019t score enough goals. It\u2019s a fine line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NHL:<\/p>\n

Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a problem that the Rangers must solve soon. They continue a brutal stretch of seven games in 11 days<\/a> before the Christmas break when they visit the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, followed by a home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon and visits to the Nashville Predators on Sunday and Washington Capitals on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The Rangers (16-15-4) played more games than anyone else in the 16-team Eastern Conference and are 15th in points percentage (.514). They must solve their problems soon or risk missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs a second straight season.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s tight in the standings, and the points really matter,\u201d Zibanejad said. \u201cWe have to start winning games, especially at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

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