Rangers Vs. Hawks: Rangers Lose Game 4-2 After Early Breakdowns
The New York Rangers dropped a game they could have had in their grasps if they started the game out just a little bit better. A lot of the blame cannot be put Martin Biron for some of the goals, as the Rangers gave up two breakaways and a penalty shot in the opening minutes.
Just 1:05 into the game, the Rangers got themselves into some trouble as Dan Girardi covered the in the crease. With out a doubt Girardi definitely closed his hand on the puck, so no debating that. Jonathan Toews would be the recipient of the penalty shot, and would eventually beat Biron through the five-hole.
Not less then a minute later, the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead off of a point shot from Nick Leddy that beat Biron through a screen. The Rangers had some poor coverage in the defensive end, and it left a Hawk player right in front, allowing himself to screen Biron easily.
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Two minutes later, the Rangers had yet another defensive lapse and allowed Patrick Sharp to walk in all alone on Biron. Sharp would put it five-hole on Biron once again and the Blackhawks held a 3-0 lead not even five minutes into the game.
It didn't take very long for the Hawks to strike again, as the Rangers would give up another breakaway, this time to Marian Hossa. Pretty much the same way Sharp beat Biron, Hossa put it five-hole and the Hawks held a 4-0 lead just over halfway through the first period. The Rangers would finally get out of the first period with most of the damage done already.
The Rangers finally got on the board in the second with a goal coming from Marc Staal at the 3:04 mark. The Rangers definitely turned up the pace in the second, and hand a ton of chances, but Corey Crawford turned them aside. However, the Rangers were unable to put up any other goals in the second period, and went into the intermission down 4-1.
The third period was basically the same as the second period, but the Hawks turned up their pressure as well. Marty Biron turned away a few great chances by the Hawks, which could have made their deficit much, much worse. With about five minutes remaining in the game, Carl Hagelin re-directed a shot from Ryan McDonagh to cut the Hawks lead in half.
The game would eventually end with the Hawks taking the 4-2 win, and ending their nine game losing streak. For the Rangers, their four game winning streak vanished right before their eyes, just minutes into the game. The Rangers will have some time off before going against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, at 8:00 PM.
