BOSTON — For the second straight year, the Rangers were shut out on opening night.
Indeed, for the first time in franchise history, the Blueshirts have been blanked in back-to-back season openers after suffering a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
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tRY IT NOWIn the first game of a season that is supposed to be different, it was much of the same for the Rangers.
“We’ve got a ways to go,” head coach Mike Sullivan said.
While it was a scoreless affair for over 56 minutes, the Bruins broke through with two quick goals — as well as one empty-netter — in the span of 1:15 to take the first of 84 games this season.
It was a game that was well within reach for the Rangers, who were also shut out 3-0 by the Penguins to start last season.
Once Fraser Minten scored from the high slot with 3:56 left in regulation, the Bruins broke the game open without much pushback from the Rangers.
JJ Peterka then made a nasty move around Braden Schneider and buried his first goal as a Bruin less than a minute later.
And just 23 seconds after that, Mark Kastelic put the puck into an empty Rangers net.
“I thought our effort was good,” Sullivan said. “I just didn’t think our execution was great.”
The shortened preseason was apparent in the Rangers-Bruins game, as well as across some of the NHL’s other four matchups. Neither Sullivan nor captain J.T. Miller considered it to be a factor — especially since all 32 clubs are dealing with it — but there were signs of rust on both sides as the two teams attempted to kick-start the season with one fewer week of preparation.
Despite generating nearly the same number of shots as the Bruins, the Rangers bled odd-man rushes through the first two periods.
Star goalie Igor Shesterkin had to bail out the team on numerous occasions, whether it was a 2-on-1 opportunity or an uncontested breakaway. He ultimately finished with 20 saves in the loss.
Miller chalked it up to puck management and coverage issues, noting that the team’s “timing was off with reloading the forwards.”
“Recognition, a little bit,” Miller said of all the odd-man rushes against. “We want our D to be a part of the play a lot. I mean, that’s how a lot of offense is generated in the league. Just the timing of when the forwards need to come down and replace. We’ll get better at it. It’s Game 1.”
The Rangers were most proud of their third-period performance despite the trio of goals against. Not only did they tighten up their defensive positioning to avoid getting caught as much as they were earlier, but the Rangers also made a significant push offensively early on. They unloaded five consecutive shots to open the frame and had a significant edge in shots on goal for much of the period.
“I thought we got better as the game went on,” Miller said. “I thought the third was our best period. We were coming. It was a pretty hard-fought game. It’s always the first game, seems to just kind of getting your legs and timing. We’ll get better.”
That first goal, however, continues to elude the Rangers.
