{"id":436286,"date":"2024-01-13T20:30:24","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T01:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=436286"},"modified":"2024-01-13T20:23:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T01:23:17","slug":"rangers-suffer-fourth-straight-loss-courtesy-monumental-defeat-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/01\/13\/rangers-suffer-fourth-straight-loss-courtesy-monumental-defeat-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Rangers Suffer Fourth Straight Loss Courtesy of a Monumental Defeat in Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time this season, the New York Rangers<\/a> dropped their fourth straight loss thanks to late heroics from the\u00a0<\/span>Washington Capitals<\/span><\/a>. The 4-3 defeat on Saturday is a sign that changes are soon on the horizon. Whether it was caused by personnel in the lineup, the matinee loss in “The District” is the first, true wake-up call of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

With a flu bug surrounding the team and a revolving door in\u00a0<\/span>Hartford<\/span><\/a>, the amount of inconsistencies over the past week has been alarming. The weekend presented a chance for New York to eliminate the “bad juju” and end the skid. Standing in their way was\u00a0<\/span>Charlie Lindgren<\/span><\/a>, whose 25 saves earned him the first star of the game. Below is a period-by-period breakdown of Saturday’s divisional fixture.<\/span><\/p>\n

First Period Takeaway: The Power of ‘Foxy’ Clean<\/h1>\n

Both New York and Washington came out a bit sluggish from the jump. It took the Rangers over five minutes just to earn their first shot on Lindgren. It was not a matter of being unselfish, rather a lack of reason. There was no purpose in the early stages, and who knows where that came from.<\/p>\n

You can speculate all you want that there\u2019s a flu bug going around, but we don\u2019t know that for sure. All we know is that it hit Mika Zibanejad<\/a> who missed Thursday\u2019s game in St. Louis due to illness. A game-time decision on Saturday, Zibanejad was well enough to start against Washington. The strides were a tad heavy, but those strides were made up by the hardnosed play of William Cuylle. The second-round pick has earned his chance on the top line due to inconsistencies with the team’s top right wing slot.<\/p>\n

Once again, New York earned the first goal of the contest courtesy of Adam Fox<\/a>. His sixth of the season caught Lindgren off guard, guiding the puck into an open frame. Fox has now scored three goals in his last four games.<\/p>\n

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The Fox stays hot. pic.twitter.com\/qN3tSkNbxF<\/a><\/p>\n

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n