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DENVER — This was not the kind of loss the Rangers have become accustomed to this season.
Falling just short, 3-2 in overtime, to a strong Avalanche team Tuesday night at Ball Arena, the Rangers felt like they had the game in hand for 58 minutes before Colorado forced overtime with a late score in the third period and ultimately won on a goal from Devon Toews in the extra period.
“They competed and did everything we wanted to do for 58 minutes,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of his team. “It’s really difficult walking away and not getting that extra point. Tie it up and even in overtime, looks and chances to win the game, we didn’t get it done. So that’s the frustrating part about it is to play so well for the 58 and then not to capitalize.
“Guys played hard the entire night. It was a hard-fought game for us and didn’t get the results that we wanted.”
Way too many of the losses that have piled up for the Rangers this season have been blowouts, multi-goal defeats with several defensive collapses or instances of losing their push altogether once a game gets out of hand.
Tuesday night was far from that.
The Rangers limited a high-octane Colorado team to just five shots and eight shots, respectively, through the first two periods before facing 10 shots in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
They kept the home team to the perimeter and matched their suffocating coverage.
Even when the Avs were controlling the pace, the Rangers found ways to insert themselves into the game effectively.
They banged bodies when they had to.
They put pucks on net in all situations, including seven shots on goal during their one power play in the second period alone.
The Avalanche may have made it extremely difficult for the Rangers to enter their zone, but once there, the visitors fought for their space and made things happen.
Sam Carrick scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game in the first period before dishing to Adam Edstrom on a 2-on-2 rush for the 2-1 lead in the second.
“It’s disappointing to lose, but I thought for 60 minutes I thought we were working,” Braden Schneider said. “We were battling hard. I thought we were creating lots of chances and I thought we were playing really good D. Things happen and they got a couple. It’s good to get a point on the road here.”
The Avalanche managed to tie it up 2-2 with 1:13 left in regulation with the extra skater on to force the extra period, when Artturi Lehkonen buried a loose puck past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin (23 saves).
It counted as the Rangers’ third appearance in overtime in the past four games, after the team hadn’t reached an extra period since the second game of the season on Oct. 12.
There were certainly chances to end the game, including a failed power play in overtime.
The Rangers, however, appeared gassed and couldn’t pull it out.
They may have been denied what would’ve been their first three-game win streak since mid-November, but their recent play against the top-tier teams has been encouraging.
A point against the Avs, who have now won nine of their past 12 games, made it four straight games with at least one for the Rangers.
That’s their best streak since the second week of the season, when they won a season-high four in a row.
“We’re really turning things around here,” Carrick said. “It would’ve been nice to get both points here, but we’ll learn from it. Move on to the next game.”
