Eric Hartline – USA TODAY Sports
The New York Rangers saw their playoff hopes take a serious hit on Tuesday night, and while there are many aspects of their game to blame, a lack of success on the power play was the biggest problem. On the same night that the New York Islanders got a big win to take a three-point lead in the standings, the Rangers were unable to convert in any of their five chances with the man-advantage against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Among the few positives for the Rangers on Tuesday were Mats Zuccarello’s first goal of the season and a clutch goal from Derek Stepan. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to get the team past a Flyers team that struck first and played with a lead the entire evening. For a third consecutive game, the Rangers saw Rick Nash fail to deliver, despite more than 22 minutes of ice time and five shots on goal. Nash leads the team with 17 goals and 35 points, but he has now failed to register a point in the last three games after scoring five goals in the first five games the Rangers played in April. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist also picked a horrible time to have an off night, stopping just 18 of the 21 shots he faced and finishing the night with a .857 save percentage.
The Rangers have six games remaining, all against teams currently behind them in the standings. That should give them a great chance to bounce back and gain some ground over a Winnipeg Jets team that has pulled even with them in points after winning four straight games.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
