Miller shut down, Quick lit up, and more: 3 reasons why New York Rangers lost 7-3 to Columbus Blue Jackets

The New York Rangers lost their third straight game after dropping a lopsided 7-3 decision against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden. Adam Fantilli registered his second hat trick this season to dash the Rangers’ hopes of getting back in the win column.

In addition to Fantilli’s three tallies, Justin Danforth and Dante Fabbro scored, with Mathieu Olivier getting two of his own. Artemi Panarin scored for the New York Rangers with Braden Schneider and Chris Kreider getting a shorthanded tally each.

Let's take a look at the three key reasons why the New York Rangers lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening.

3 reasons why New York Rangers lost to Columbus Blue Jackets

#3 Defensive miscues

The New York Rangers committed a number of defensive miscues on Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. But none was bigger than an own goal by the Rangers.

The goal, credited to Mathieu Olivier, was the result of Zac Jones attempting to swat the puck out of the air with his hand. However, he did not swat the puck out of harm’s way. Instead, he knocked the puck past a baffled Jonathan Quick.

Here’s a look at the play:

Alexis Lafreniere had done a good job of keeping Olivier to the outside. Quick also did a good job of poke-checking the puck, but it was Jones who managed to knock the puck into his own net, giving the Blue Jackets a 6-3 lead and punctuating a terrible night defensively for the Blue Shirts.

#2 Jonathan Quick lit up

The Columbus Blue Jackets lit up Jonathan Quick on Sunday night. Quick, who’s been a reliable backup for the New York Rangers this season, was seemingly out of place against the Jackets.

A good example came on Fantilli’s hat-trick goal. The goal made the score 7-3 and put the cherry on top of the pie of misery for the Rangers.

Let’s look at the goal:

The goal emerged from a completely broken defensive play by the Rangers. Blue liner Urho Vaakanainen fell to the ice, allowing Fantilli to waltz in unchallenged and bury the puck home. The embarrassing goal left Rangers fans scratching their heads at the spectacle on the ice.

#1 Miller shut down

Deadline acquisition J.T. Miller has played well with the Rangers since joining the club from the Vancouver Canucks. However, Miller was a non-factor against the Blue Jackets, registering a minus-3 in over 17 minutes of ice time over 20 shifts.

While Miller got three shots on goal, it wasn’t enough to get on the scoresheet. Moving forward, the Rangers hope that Miller continues to be a productive force as the Rangers look to sneak into the playoffs.

The Blue Shirts will be back in action against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night at the Canada Life Centre, looking to snap their three-game skid.