NY Rangers HC Peter Laviolette singles out his one key disliking from Blueshirts' 2-0 shutout loss to Predators

The NY Rangers lost 2-0 to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena. The Rangers have been struggling on both ends this season, and after the game, coach Peter Laviolette criticized his team’s third-period performance.

"What I didn't like was the third period,” Laviolette said (per The Athletic's Peter Baugh). “We came out and I thought they had the edge on us. They probably two-to-oned us in chances. ... We needed more in the third. When you're down 1-0 that's when we've got to find our way out of something."

Laviolette also expressed frustration with the team’s overall struggles.

“We’re in the business of winning,” he said. “So when you’re not winning it’s frustrating. Everybody’s irritated by the whole thing. We’ve got to find a way out, and we’ve got to do it quick.”

The NY Rangers struggled defensively, allowing Jonathan Marchessault’s tap-in during the first period. Adam Wilsby scored his first NHL goal in the second period, skating past Reilly Smith and beating Igor Shesterkin through traffic. The Rangers blocked only 14 shots, compared to 29 by the Predators.

Offensively, the Rangers managed just 25 shots. The absence of Artemi Panarin further weakened their attack. Panarin is leading the team in goals (15) and points (36). He has 21 assists, but Adam Fox leads the team with 24.

Discipline issues in the second period also hurt their momentum, with multiple penalties disrupting play. Shesterkin made 30 saves but received little support. Newly acquired defenseman Uro Vaakanainen had an average debut.

The NY Rangers (15-15-1) have dropped five of their last six games and are 3-11-0 over their previous 14. This marks their third straight loss, raising concerns about their consistency and offensive creativity.

Forward Chris Kreider on NY Rangers' performance in 2-0 loss

Chris Kreider said the NY Rangers need to find ways to score. Talking to the media after the Rangers' third straight loss, he discussed areas of improvement.

“We’ve got to find ways to score goals,” Kreider said (per NHL.com).

“They did a good job on the [penalty] kill. We got a few looks. They were obviously blocking a lot and getting in lanes, but we knew that going in so we needed to do more bad-angle shots...we did a better job of playing north, playing quickly and establishing some zone time.”

Kreider stressed the need for more bad-angle shots and quick play to create chances. They hope to implement that against the Dallas Stars on Friday.