Zibanejad MIA, poor defensive effort and more: 3 reasons why New York Rangers lost 5-3 to Florida Panthers

The New York Rangers dropped their fourth straight game, losing 5-3 to the Florida Panthers on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena. The loss further sinks the Rangers to last place in the Metro Division, two points behind the New York Islanders for seventh in the division.

Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren and Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers. Meanwhile, Jesper Boqvist had two goals for the Panthers with Eetu Luostarinen, Mackie Samoskevich and Aleksander Barkov (EN) getting the other tallies for the Cats.

Here’s a closer look at three reasons why New York lost to Florida on Monday.

3 reasons why New York Rangers lost 5-3 to Florida Panthers

#3. Igor Shesterkin’s subpar performance

Igor Shesterkin had another subpar performance on Monday night. Shesterkin stopped 21-of-25 shots, surrendering four goals. While his performance wasn’t awful, it wasn’t good enough to win. The Shesterkin fans have grown accustomed to seeing did not show up against the Cats.

Specifically, the Sheskterkin that would have stolen the game for the New York Rangers wasn’t on the ice. While it’s hard to blame Shesterkin for the disorganized team playing in front of him, he looked out of place.

A good example was Boqvist’s first goal. After making the initial save on a wrap-around, Shesterkin laid in the crease flailing about trying to somehow stop Boqvist, who buried the puck in the wide-open cage. The goal looked bad on Shesterkin and the Rangers, underscoring the team’s woes.

#2. Poor defensive play

The numbers don’t tell all of the story behind the New York Rangers’ poor defensive play. The eye test shows that the Rangers lack any sort of structure on the ice.

A great example was Boqvist’s go-ahead goal in the third period. During the sequence, Shesterkin made three saves before Boqvist eventually stuffed the puck home. This goal can’t be pinned on Sheskterkin as he had to make three saves in close.

Instead, the goal is on the Rangers’ defense which could not check anyone in front of the net. The Rangers’ D allowed the Panthers to whack away at the puck until they finally scored. The lack of effort on defense made it seem like the Rangers merely stopped skating.

#1. Zibanejad continues to be missing in action

Mika Zibanejad continues to go unnoticed on the ice. He’s failed to register a point in his last five games to go with a minus-6 rating.

While he’s registered 21 points in 35 games, his production has fallen off a cliff during the New York Rangers’ recent slide.

On top of Zibanejad’s lack of production, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Adam Fox have all lacked any sort of significant production. Kreider scored a goal against the Panthers with Fox, Panarin and Trocheck all registering one assist apiece.

Given the lack of scoring from the Rangers’ top six, it’s no wonder the team has struggled in its last 10 games.

The Rangers closed out 2024 on a low note but will have a chance to get back on the right track in 2025 as they take on the Boston Bruins next at home on Thursday.