Teams like the New York Rangers aren’t overly concerned with preseason results. New York’s roster is mostly set, with a few spots here and there up for grabs. Players like Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, and Igor Shesterkin are entrenched in their roles. As a result, these games are more about getting back into playing shape than anything else.
However, there are still some things that can be gleaned from a preseason performance. Teams that struggle during the regular season can often find signs of the impending performance in their preseason effort. Vice versa for teams who go on to find success after a good preseason performance.
And to be fair, a two-game sample size is a small one. In saying this, it’s hard not to see how the Rangers performed over these last two games and ask some questions. On Thursday, the Rangers lost to their intrastate rival, the New York Islanders, after blowing a two-goal lead. This is the second lead they’ve blown in as many preseason games.
Again, the importance of preseason hockey is up for debate. At the same time, this is not a trend the team wants to see carry over into the regular season. Fox echoed this sentiment after the loss to the Islanders on Thursday night.
“You want to win games that you’re playing… We’ve, the two games, been the better team for most of it… But you don’t want that stuff to creep in when you do have a two-goal lead in games,” the Rangers star said, via Colin Stephenson of Newsday Sports.
Rangers Struggle To Hold Leads In Preseason
This trend began against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. The Rangers lost this game in overtime. However, they had a dominating lead early on.
Goals from top prospect Gabe Perreault and marquee free agent signing Vladislav Gavrikov helped New York create a 4-1 lead entering the third period. However, the Blueshirts allowed three goals in the final frame. And in overtime, it was veteran defenseman Nikita Zadorov who punched home the game-winner for Boston.
On Thursday, it was a similar situation. Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller scored as New York entered the third period with a 4-2 lead. However, they once again allowed three goals in the final frame, including Kyle Palmieri’s second of the night.
The Rangers are not playing their full lineups in these games, and that’s important context. At the same time, these aren’t the sort of losses any team wants to see, regardless of the situation.
New York Looking To Respect Certain Standard
Thankfully, preseason is the perfect time for a team to figure these things out. These games don’t matter toward a push to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They don’t get standing points for these wins or losses.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan certainly isn’t pleased, though. He has stressed the need to live up to a certain standard. He doesn’t want this team accepting these sorts of losses just because of the date on the calendar.
“At the end of the day, I get it, it’s an exhibition game. We haven’t worked on a lot of things, it’s a work in progress. It’s not about the loss, it’s about how we lost… I think the takeaway is we have to expect more from one another,” he said following Tuesday’s loss to the Bruins, via New York Post reporter Mollie Walker.