Zibanejad, Kreider shut down, terrible power play, and more: 3 reasons why New York Rangers lost against Edmonton Oilers

The New York Rangers faced a tough Edmonton Oilers team on Saturday night at Rogers Place. The Oilers pounded the Rangers 6-2 on the strength of a three-point night from Connor McDavid.

McDavid had two goals, with Darnell Nurse getting a shorthanded goal on his return from injury. Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard had the others for the Oilers. Artemi Panarin had the two tallies for New York.

So, let’s take a look at the three reasons why the New York Rangers lost 6-2 against the Edmonton Oilers.

3 reasons why New York Rangers lost against Edmonton Oilers

#3 The Oilers offense overwhelmed the Rangers

The Oilers came out with guns blazing. The onslaught the New York Rangers faced from the beginning led to a lopsided 21-9 shot count in favor of the Oilers. While Jonathan Quick held the fort for most of the period, Podkolzin and Nurse scored late in the first to open up a 2-0 lead.

Perhaps the worst moment in the period was a shorthanded goal the Rangers gave up with about 10 seconds left. The Oilers seemingly took their foot off the gas the rest of the way but opened up a 4-0 before New York got on the board.

By the 10-minute mark of the third, McDavid made it 6-1 with two goals to seal the win. In short, it seemed as though the Rangers had no way to counter McDavid and the vaunted Edmonton offense.

#2 Terrible power play

The Rangers' talented power play went 0-for-3, including the shorthanded goal mentioned a few moments ago. For New York, it was a tough night as the club holds the 10th-best power play in the league at 22.4%.

However, the Rangers were unable to get much going against Edmonton, explaining why the lopsided score tilted in the Oilers’ favor.

#1 The Rangers offense folded

With the exception of Panarin’s two goals, the New York Rangers' main offensive weapons were silent on the night. Mika Zibanejad, Kris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck all had quiet outings. Meanwhile, Adam Fox and Alexis Lafreniere had an assist apiece. That was all the Rangers could muster against the Oilers on Saturday night.

The Rangers entered the game averaging 3.42 goals per game. Unfortunately for the club, it fell significantly short of that average, allowing the Oilers to run away with the game.

The Rangers will be back on the ice on Monday night as they take on the St. Louis Blues. New York will be looking to get back in the win column following the tough loss against Edmonton.