Shesterkin chased, Zibanejad, Kreider ice cold, and more: 3 reasons why New York Rangers lost 5-1 to Los Angeles Kings

The New York Rangers fell 5-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The loss was the Rangers’ third in four games.

Alex Turcotte, Warren Foegele, Quinton Byfield, Andrian Kempe, and Phillip Danault scored for the Kings. Meanwhile, Filip Chytil broke the shutout at 12:17 of the second period.

So, here’s a look at the three reasons why the New York Rangers got pounded 5-1 by the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon.

3 reasons why New York Rangers lost to Los Angeles Kings

#3 The power-play slump continues

The New York Rangers’ power play continued its slump, going 0-for-3. The Rangers entered Saturday’s action with the 13th-best power play in the league. However, the Blue Shirts could not find the back of the net with the man advantage.

#2 The stars were held off the scoresheet

Despite playing a seemingly good game, the Rangers’ stars could not score. Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafreniere, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox all went quiet on the night. Artermi Panarin managed to register an assist on Chytil’s goal.

The Kings rode a three-goal outburst in a span of about three minutes to build a 5-0 lead. The three goals in rapid succession showed how Los Angeles was able to capitalize on a brief period in which the Rangers were vulnerable. Meanwhile, the Rangers were unable to capitalize on such opportunities.

#1 Shesterkin chased from the game

Igor Shesterkin was the unfortunate recipient of the Kings’ explosion. The Kings chased Shesterkin from the game following their second-period barrage. Jonathan Quick replaced Shesterkin, going 11-for-11 in relief.

Shesterkin’s performance was largely disappointing, considering he has strung together a number of solid starts. His performance on Saturday signaled that there may be issues with consistency that he and the Rangers will need to pay closer attention to.

The New York Rangers will get a chance to turn things around on Sunday evening as they take on the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center.