The Rangers are the first NHL team to be eliminated in their first 3 home games
NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad was at a loss after he and the New York Rangers made history Tuesday night by becoming the first team in NHL history to be shut out in each of their first three home games this season.
“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Zibanejad said after the 2-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. “I honestly don’t know.”
The Rangers’ 180-minute drought at Madison Square Garden is the second-longest to start a season at home, behind the now-defunct Pittsburgh Pirates in 1928. They went the first 187:19 scoreless at Duquesne Gardens before Heb Milks scored. The Buccaneers’ streak was longer due to overtime.
The previous longest in the modern era among teams still in existence was 155:17 by the Florida Panthers in 2001.
“This is a unique start to the season,” captain JT Miller said. “It’s unfortunate that we had a couple of games where we felt like we threw too much at the other team and didn’t get rewarded.”
Artemi Panarin had an early chance on his own against Edmonton that was stopped by Stuart Skinner. Will Coyle also had the puck in the back of the net after an Oilers turnover only to be brushed aside, and fourth basemen Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe had good chances at the edge of the crease.
“We can all go home and sleep well knowing we played another good game at home,” Miller said. “We are competitors. We want to win. We would like to see the ball go into the net. At the moment, that is not the case.”
Sam Carrick nearly scored with 2:31 left, but Skinner flashed his glove to make the save.
None of those shots crossed the goal line, and several other attempts bounced off the crossbar and went out.
“We have two crossbars that go towards the crossbar or the post next to the goal line,” Zibanejad said. “I think we create a lot of chances. I think there are enough high-danger chances that we create, but we don’t score. It’s simple.”
The Rangers failed to score on their first 90 shots on goal at home, and fans booed at one point when they came up empty on consecutive power plays.
“You’re eager to give the fans a reason to cheer,” Carrick said. “They support us every night in a big way here. They obviously want to come in and see the goals. That’s the frustrating part.”
They will have to wait about a week until their next game on home ice. New York heads out for games in Toronto and Montreal before returning to host Minnesota on Monday night. Every player who spoke after the Oilers game had the same train of thought about not abandoning the structure that has contributed to two wins on the road and being able to compete.
“We have to make sure the mentality stays the same here and not go off the grid to find something,” Miller said. “We have to stay the course. Over time, the results will come.”