With how lopsided Monday’s 3-0 loss to the Kings was, it’s almost hard to fathom the Rangers only gave up 15 shots in their Game 3 defeat at the Garden.
But that’s what the Blueshirts have been left clinging to as they try to surmount an improbable comeback in the Stanley Cup finals.
“We have to continue to focus because it seems like every little shot or play they have is finding the back of our net,” Ryan McDonagh said. “We have to continue to stay positive.”
That’s not the easiest task when, as McDonagh pointed out, it seemed like each mistake the Rangers’ defense made ended up in a goal by Los Angeles.
Dan Girardi, with an ugly minus-2 in the loss, was left sprawling in a desperate attempt to stop Jeff Carter’s wrister.
“That’s one of the only chances they got in the first,” coach Alain Vigneault said.
Girardi couldn’t even explain what happened on the Kings’ first goal.
“I’m just laying down and the puck got passed over and it just nicks off the heel of my blade and that’s exactly how the series is going for us right now,” Girardi said of the goal scored with just 0.7 seconds left in the first period. “A couple of bad bounces. At some point, it’s going to go our way.”
At this rate, though, “some point” might be next season.
Girardi, whose turnover in overtime led to the game-winner in Game 1, was victimized by a bad pinch on the third goal that put the game out of reach. It’s the kind of play the Kings don’t seem to be making this series.
“We are not sure why it’s happening but we have to keep working ourselves and work hard,” Girardi said. “It all just comes down to we have to win one game and we’ll go from there.”
McDonagh took some solace in the fact the Rangers had 32 shots.
“We outshot them by double and that’s a good sign,” McDonagh said. “But ultimately, it’s the goals that count. We felt we did a lot of good things, continued to put pressure on them. It’s not like we’re not getting looks and pucks toward the net.”
But they are running out of time.
“The series isn’t over yet,” McDonagh said. “Our guys know that. We’ve rattled off a win streak before, but we have to start with one in order to do that.”