NY Rangers HC Peter Laviolette points to defensive breakdown in loss to Blue Jackets

NY Rangers coach Peter Laviolette rued defensive lapses in the 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Adam Fantilli led Columbus with a hat-trick. Laviolette said that defensive breakdowns were the main issue in the defeat.

"It came in different ways against us tonight. Whether it was getting beat, a coverage breakdown, a bad bounce, or someone falling—each goal happened for a different reason," Laviolette said.

"But, at the end of the day, it's not good enough. We gave up big chances right in front of our net, and that can't happen."

Laviolette said that the team allowed too many big chances in front of the net. He pointed to mistakes like missed coverage, bad bounces and players falling. He stressed that the team must defend better.

"Tonight, it was more about the breakdowns being really bad when they did happen," Laviolette said. "There were guys right in front of Quick with no support, no help ... everything could have been handled differently and needs to be better."

Chris Kreider and Braden Schneider scored short-handed goals for the NY Rangers, while Artemi Panarin extended his goal streak to five games.

Talking about mistakes in execution, Laviolette said:

"I don’t think our execution was very good coming out of the zone. We just threw pucks away, which led to offense for them. and, ultimately, goals against. We have to be cleaner breaking out — it created too many chances against us."

The NY Rangers (31-27-6) have lost three straight games and are one point behind Ottawa for the second wild-card spot.

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NY Rangers coach talked about his decision keep Quick in the net

Adam Fantilli led the Columbus Blue Jackets with a hat-trick to move to 21 goals this season.

Zach Werenski had two assists, passing Rick Nash for the most assists in Blue Jackets history. Mathieu Olivier and Dante Fabbro each had a goal and an assist, while Daniil Tarasov made 32 saves.

Jonathan Quick made 21 saves but stayed in the net despite allowing seven goals. Laviolette said that he considered switching to Igor Shesterkin but decided against it due to the schedule and Quick’s efforts.

"We talked about it," Laviolette said. "But when you look at where the goals were coming from, with guys standing right in front of the net, along with where we are in the season, the schedule, and the fact that we played last night, we decided to leave Quick in. He’s a warrior in there."

The NY Rangers next play their next three games on the road, including a rematch with the Blue Jackets on Saturday.