Rangers Must Master Momentum Shifts
A late collapse against Seattle exposes vulnerabilities the team faces against elite competition this week.
By Justin Barnes ·
The New York Rangers lost control of a comfortable lead in Seattle Saturday night, a performance that highlights a recurring struggle with momentum management.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored his second goal in as many games to put the Rangers up four goals entering the third period. The team had dominated the Kraken earlier in the contest, limiting Seattle to just five high-danger chances and forcing goalie Joey Daccord off the ice with 13 minutes and 53 seconds remaining. Joonas Korpisalo, in his first two NHL periods, faced minimal pressure.
The shift began when Kaapo Kakko scored for Seattle less than two minutes into the final frame. The Rangers surrendered two additional goals, falling 4-3. Kraken center Berkly Catton took a holding penalty with 2:26 left in regulation, which might have altered the final outcome. Joonas Korpisalo noted the game turned on a small error, stating, “Turns [out] to be a one-goal game. I think we played the last three, four minutes.”
The team enters Monday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers with a 2-4 record against the top six teams in the NHL. Their only wins against this tier of competition were two victories over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers have dropped contests to the Oilers, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, and Ottawa Senators. Head coach Mike Sullivan described the team’s best play as simple and fast, emphasizing the need to build an offensive zone game while defending hard.
The challenge is managing the rapid pace set by elite opponents. In the November 1 meeting at Madison Square Garden, Connor McDavid scored on his first shift to change the game’s trajectory. The Rangers face similar threats from players like Kirill Kaprizov, Auston Matthews, and Nathan MacKinnon. Sullivan said the team must maintain possession to limit opponents’ offensive involvement, a tactic he felt the Rangers relied on too heavily in the third period against Seattle. The team must now balance speed with defensive structure to hold leads against high-caliber competition.
