Shesterkin lit up, offense doesn’t deliver, and more: 3 reasons why New York Rangers lost 5-1 to New Jersey Devils

The New York Rangers dropped their fifth game in their last six on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils notched a big 5-1 win over their division rivals at Madison Square Garden.

Jack Hughes had two goals for New Jersey, with Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and Dougie Hamilton adding the others for the Devils. Meanwhile, Chris Kreider got the New York Rangers on the board with a power play goal in the second period.

So, let’s take a closer look at the three key reasons why the New York Rangers lost to the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.

3 reasons why New York Rangers lost to New Jersey Devils

#3 The penalty kill disappointed

The New York Rangers entered Monday night’s tilt with the second-best penalty kill in the league at 87.7%. However, the Devils managed to score twice with the man advantage, ending the night 2-for-4. That disappointing performance put the Rangers in a tough spot as they were unable to come back from the 4-0 deficit the Devils built in the second period.

In particular, Hughes’ second goal of the game, a power play marker late in the second, was a backbreaker for the Rangers. Kreider had made the game 4-1 with a power play goal of his own. But instead of chipping away at the lead, Hughes’ goal put the game out of reach for the Rangers.

#2 The Rangers' top scorers did not deliver

Aside from Kreider’s goal, the New York Rangers big stars did not deliver. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad assisted on Kreider’s goal but did not produce much beyond that. Vincent Trocheck, Kaapo Kakko, and Alexis Lafreniere all failed to get on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, Adam Fox, who played a team-high 25:37, did not score while registering five shots on goal.

It’s worth pointing out that the Rangers had their chance. They put 39 shots on goal, but just couldn’t manage to get the puck to go in the back of the net. The bad luck seemed to follow the Rangers around all night. They tried to make a late push but ultimately failed to get anything going.

#1 Shesterkin lit up again

Igor Shesterkin had a subpar performance, stopping 23 shots while giving up five goals. The New York Rangers' Vezina-caliber netminder has given up at least four goals in three of his last five games. He’s had two great performances, including one where he stopped 46 shots against the Calgary Flames on November 21 in a losing effort.

Unfortunately for Shesterkin, his numbers this year show a considerable drop compared to his career averages. Currently, Shesterkin has eight wins, a 3.05 GAA, and a .908 SV% in 18 games. The numbers, while not awful, are not indicative of the type of goaltender he truly is.

The Rangers will have a couple of off days to regroup before taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at home.