The New York Rangers finally suffered their first loss at home to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night, and the team did not look great in defeat.
Coming into Monday, the Rangers were on a two-game losing streak, but eager to be back home where they were a perfect 6-0. However, the return of Artemi Panarin resulted in a lopsided 6-3 loss for New York.
One of the key factors for the Rangers has been their ability to perform well early and play with the lead at home. That wasn’t the case in this one. A breakaway goal to start things off set the tone for Los Angeles, and while the Rangers did show a little bit of fight toward the end, the damage was done.
In the loss, New York was switching things up defensively, trying to find something to work. This is a group that hasn’t quite played as well of late and has contributed to some of the struggles.
Since the team is now 14 games into the year, there has been a little bit of wear and tear. With that being said, one player the team should get a game for is Scott Morrow.
Rangers Should Give Morrow a Game
Following the loss to the Kings, Mike Sullivan spoke about Sean Durzi being a little banged up and playing through it. However, with him switching things in terms of the pairs, perhaps getting some rest for Durzi makes sense.
“You know, you know, Durs is battling through some stuff physically,” Sullivan said to Rangers On SI.
If Durzi isn’t close to 100 percent, the Rangers do have a capable player in Morrow who can come in and give New York some minutes. The Rangers have had Morrow up the entire season so far, but through 14 games have yet to play him.
While the defensive unit was really strong to start the season, this is a group that has not been playing as well of late. There have been some miscues that have resulted in easy opportunities for the Rangers.
New York is going to be on a nice little mini break now, and it comes at a good time for the team on a three-game skid. Their schedule has been a little tough with games seemingly every other day, and a break will be welcomed.
In terms of the defense, getting Morrow a game soon makes a lot of sense. If Durzi is banged up, he is a logical choice for him to fill in for. Furthermore, Braden Schneider also hasn’t played great, and if Durzi is fine after the break, getting Morrow in for him makes sense also.
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