Inability to score, lack of opportunities, no discipline: 3 reasons why the New York Rangers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1

The New York Rangers finally won a game on Thursday in Dallas. With their season beginning to slip away due to a 13-game stretch that saw them go 3-10-0, the Rangers showed some resilience and beat a strong Stars team on the road. That winning feeling has now gone away as the Rangers lost 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon.

The noise surrounding the team has been deafening. General manager Chris Drury has not been shy about voicing his dissatisfaction with his team's play on the ice. He's taken action by forcing former captain Jacob Trouba out of town in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks, trading Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, and there are now rumors he wants to make more seismic changes to the core of his roster.

While the rumblings have certainly affected the New York Rangers' play up to date, a recent win over the Dallas Stars was a big step in the right direction. Unfortunately, they took a step backward with today's loss to the Hurricanes.

Despite a promising 1-0 start with Jimmy Vesey converting 17 seconds into the game, the Rangers began to sit back.

Midway through period number two, William Carrier tied things up, then about five minutes later, Jack Roslovic scored a power-play goal thanks to a high sticking major by Alexis Lafreniere.

Carolina locked it down from there, holding their 2-1 all the way until Sebastian Aho's insurance marker into the empty net to seal the victory. The Hurricanes would leave Madison Square Garden with a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers.

3 reasons why the New York Rangers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes

#1. Inability to score

New York only managed to score one goal on Pyotr Kochetkov. While the New York Rangers have one of the few goalies in the league that can lead them to a 1-0 victory in Igor Shesterkin, that's still too much of an ask.

The Blueshirts have been held to just seven goals in their last five games, a stretch that's seen them go 1-4-0.

#2. Lack of discipline

The Rangers spent far too much time in the penalty box on Sunday. Carolina had five power-play opportunities, going 1-5 on their chances, with Jack Roslovic potting the game-winning goal on the PP.

It's tough to win a hockey game playing that undisciplined.

#3. Not enough opportunities are created

Part of the New York Rangers' inability to score was due to the lack of scoring opportunities they were able to create. They were credited with 23 total shots on goal, making Pyotr Kochetkov's afternoon far too easy. The Hurricanes' stingy defensive system kept the Rangers to the outside.