Igor Shesterkin did enough to keep the score respectable, but he could not rescue the Rangers from the kind of defensive breakdowns that decided a 3-0 loss to the Bruins in BOSTON on Tuesday night.
The Rangers played after a truncated preseason and were repeatedly exposed through the first two periods, with Shesterkin facing 22 shots and stopping 20 of them. Fraser Minten eventually broke the game open late in the third period, but by then the damage had already been done by too many odd-man situations at the other end.
Shesterkin was left to absorb the pressure
Mike Sullivan did not dress up the problem. He said the Rangers were giving the Bruins too many good looks by turning pucks over in the wrong areas and by making the game too complicated.
“We turned pucks over in the wrong areas of the rink,” Sullivan said. “I thought we were trying to play a little bit too much East-West, instead of simplifying the game and playing more straight ahead.”
That is the central issue here. Shesterkin was not beaten by one catastrophic moment; he was asked to deal with repeated breakdowns that forced him into a night of reacting rather than settling into control. In a game like that, even a strong goaltending performance can only do so much.
Three 2-on-1s told the story
Sullivan was particularly concerned by the number of odd-man rushes the Rangers allowed. He said the team gave up three 2-on-1’s in the second period alone, and added that the same problem happened four times during that frame.
“We turn some pucks over and we give them some grade-A looks off those turnovers, and then we gave up too many odd-man rushes,” Sullivan said. “I think we gave up three 2-on-1’s in the second period.”
His explanation went beyond the blue line. Sullivan said the forwards were not consistently supporting the defensive structure, leaving the team vulnerable when defensemen jumped into the play.
“If we want our D to be active off the offensive blue line, off the rush, things of that nature, then as a forward, we have to build a level of trust that we’re going to replace that defenseman,” he said. “We would replace, but then we wouldn’t stay out and stay above the attack until the defenseman returns.”
That is the kind of detail coaches notice quickly, because it affects everything that follows. Once a team starts leaking back into the play too early, the whole shape of the structure collapses and the goalie becomes the last line of defense against a rush he should never have had to face.
A difficult night for a team still taking shape
This was also the first real reminder that a shortened build-up to the season can still show up in the details. The Rangers looked like a team that had not yet fully settled into the habits Sullivan wants, and he made it clear that discipline in those situations has to improve.
“I think that’s a discipline that we’ve got to develop, and we’ve got to be better about that aspect of our game,” he said.
There was at least one small personal note around the game as well. Sullivan coached his 1,000th NHL game before facing the team he started his coaching career with, and in the state where he grew up. When asked about the milestone, he said, “I don’t know, I think it just suggests that I’m probably getting older,” before adding that it is a privilege to coach in the league and that he is grateful for the opportunities he has been given along the way.
For the Rangers, though, the bigger point was simpler. Igor Shesterkin gave them a chance to stay in the game, but the repeated defensive breakdowns meant the Bruins were able to tilt the ice and eventually take control. If the Blueshirts want better results, the structure in front of their goaltender has to improve quickly.
There were other moving parts around the roster as well, with Vincent Iorio placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury before the game and then waived in the afternoon. But the main takeaway from Tuesday night was about the same every time the Bruins came forward: too much space, too many breakdowns, and too much asked of Shesterkin.
