The Old Black Magic that enabled the Rangers to win six straight on the road disappeared amid Vegas’ bright lights last night. And guess why?
The Blueshirts finally went up against an elite team – although decimated by injuries – that had been slumping at home and lost 3-2 when the actual Knights’ barrage could have made it 6-2.
Once again Igor Shesterkin did his best to allow New York’s shooters to even the score but Iggy simply can’t do it alone.
Jonny Brodzinski and Vincent Trocheck were New York’s lamplighters and coach Mike Sullivan had the best what-did-he-mean-by-that post-game quote: “It was kind of a low-event game.”
Maybe he meant that Vegas had three high events – disguised as goals – while his gunners could not come up with enough high events of their own. Pal Sean McCaffrey of Blue Collar Blue Shirt calls them the “Bad and boring Blueshirts.”
As for alibits, we’ve been waiting more than a month for a Ranger to pull off the world’s most overused postgame losing moan and captain J.T. Miller had for us.
“At some point, you look in the mirror!”
Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell us if the Rangers once and for all beat a genuinely elite team. That opportunity arises tomorrow when the Pale Blueshirts visit the Avalanche in Denver.
Oh-for-one on this telling road trip, the best thing coach Sully can do is start his fightingest goalie Jonathan Quick.
Was Jonathan Too Quick To Start An Unnecessary Post-Game Scrum?
The Rangers certainly know how to make a mountain out of a molehill. (Make that one Ranger.)
It was Quickie’s post-game attempted assault on Detroit’s Mason Appleton on Sunday night at The Garden for shooting the puck in the empty Rangers net a couple of seconds after the final buzzer that got Quick so hot and bothered.
“What Quickie was trying to do,” says The Old Scout, “was send a message to his team that they’re leaving him out to dry by not scoring.”
Well if you’re wondering how well that message got through to the Beloveds, start with the captain. Miller has one goal in nine games and probably could use nine mirrors to awaken himself.
“In Vegas, we were a step behind in the O-zone,” Trocheck concludes.
If he’s not careful about the ozone in Mile High Denver tomorrow, his buddies may wind up two steps behind in the O-zone!
