It sure isn’t last year. Around this time a year ago, the Rangers shutout the Penguins 1-0 behind 32 saves from Jonathan Quick. Alexis Lafreniere got the only goal in a win that improved them to 13-3-1 on Nov. 22, 2023.

That team gave fans a lot to be thankful for. They played together and were formidable in Peter Laviolette’s first year behind the bench. They also were more committed defensively. Believe it or not, there was a structured system. The same core all bought in. They played for each other and were fun to watch.

A year later, the Rangers dropped their fourth consecutive game in regulation by losing to the Hurricanes 4-3 on Turkey Eve in Raleigh yesterday. They limped into Thanksgiving with a 12-8-1 record. The four straight regulation losses are more than they had at the same point last season. Even when they showed a pulse by competing well against one of the league’s best teams, they found a way to lose.

Unlike the previous three losses, the Rangers had every chance to come away with a win against a division rival. After getting off to a bad start, they came back to tie the game twice and even took a lead with over a minute left in the second period. But it wasn’t enough. A bad third period proved costly. The Hurricanes used goals from Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jackson Blake to come from behind and take the first regular season meeting.

Igor Shesterkin had an uneven game in net. He allowed two bad goals out of the four that beat him. That included an early one to Jack Drury that put the Hurricanes ahead less than five minutes in. Martin Necas made a cross-ice feed for a Drury one-timer that Shesterkin didn’t get over quick enough to cover the goalpost on. There was plenty of time due to Drury being a right-handed shot on the off side. He should’ve had it.

Kaapo Kakko also didn’t help out enough on the goal. He should’ve closed out on Drury. Instead, he got caught in no-man’s land and partially screened Shesterkin. Kakko took some criticism for failing to prevent Connor Zary from scoring the game-winner in the Flames’ 3-2 victory on Nov. 21. That was also a goal Shesterkin should’ve stopped. Despite having a great game in making a season high 46 saves, he got caught leaning. That allowed Zary to beat him to the short side upstairs. It was similar to Drury’s goal.

After a slow start, the Rangers picked up their play. They were able to establish a forecheck against the Hurricanes. It came mostly from the third and fourth lines. Eventually, the hard work paid off. On a smart Ryan Lindgren pinch to push the puck down low, Jimmy Vesey centered in front for a Jonny Brodzinski shot that beat Hurricanes goalie Spencer Martin with 2:22 left in the period. A better finish allowed them to be tied after one.

Unfortunately, a late penalty on Will Cuylle would result in the Hurricanes retaking the lead over a minute into the second period. For most of the five-on-four, it was the Rangers who dominated on the penalty kill. They were getting in the lanes and clearing pucks out. But on a Canes’ reentry, Seth Jarvis cut in and took a Necas backdoor pass to make it 2-1. Sebastian Aho made a good diagonal pass to Necas, who then saw Jarvis moving towards the net. He made a bullet pass that Jarvis put in to score as the power play was set to expire.

Ryan Lindgren couldn’t prevent the pass from getting through. To be fair, it was a great play by Necas. He’s been unbelievable. With a pair of assists, he leads the league in scoring with 37 points. That’s two more than both Nathan MacKinnon and Kirill Kaprizov. Nobody talks about Necas for the Hart. If he keeps this up, maybe they should. I thought he was due for a breakout season. I never imagined he’d have 37 points in 22 games. He’s carried the Hurricanes so far. Aho ranks second with 24 points.

With the Hurricanes putting on some pressure, the Rangers bent but didn’t break thanks to some key defensive plays from defensemen. On one shift, Jacob Trouba had a good block to deny the dangerous Necas. On another shift, Braden Schneider took away a scoring chance by being in the right position. That allowed Zac Jones to send Brett Berard on a two-on-one. Berard scored his first career NHL goal to tie the score at two. He was able to beat Martin underneath his arm to the short side. That gave him a goal and an assist in his first two games.

Following Berard’s first goal, the Rangers were on their heels for a while. The period of the long change has been a problem for this team. They’re slow defensively. Often, they’ll get pinned in by opponents for long stretches. Both K’Andre Miller and Trouba were gassed due to being on for over a two-minute shift. The forwards were Mika Zibanejad, Cuylle, and Berard. Nobody could get the puck out. It looked like Carolina was going to score. Zibanejad had one weak attempt that was kept in. Luckily, the Canes misfired on a pass with the puck going out of the zone. That allowed them to finally change.

Both Adam Edstrom and Reilly Smith put together a strong shift in the offensive zone with Brodzinski, who filled in for Kakko. Kakko limped back to the locker room earlier in the second. The good news is that he returned before the period concluded.

After a successful penalty kill on a Miller tripping minor, some strong work from Adam Fox in his end led to Edstrom getting his second of the season to put the Rangers in front with 1:11 remaining. Fox broke up a play and sent a pass up the boards to Smith. He blew past a flatfooted Dmitry Orlov to turn it into another two-on-one. Smith made a sweet dish across to Edstrom for the easy finish.

Edstrom hadn’t played that well lately. However, maybe sticking him on the third line helped boost his confidence. He’s been better with Kakko and Smith. Edstrom had a goal and three shots in 9:53 of ice time. If he can play the way he did last night, it should earn him more minutes.

The Rangers were in position to pull off a big victory against a very good opponent that came in winners of eight in a row at home. Their last loss in front of the Caniacs was to the Lightning on Oct. 11. Even down to the third string goalie due to Pyotr Kochetkov out indefinitely with a concussion, they find ways to win games. It speaks to how good a coach Rod Brind’Amour is.

The Hurricanes controlled the the third period. They had the better of the play and outshot the Rangers 9-6. The biggest difference was their team defense. Once they tied the game up, there was literally no room on the ice for the Rangers to make plays with the puck. As much criticism as Zibanejad receives for looking out of shape, the big line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Lafreniere were invisible. They did absolutely nothing. The Canes took away Panarin’s time and space. It looked like a cardinal copy of what the Panthers did in the Conference Finals last spring.

If there was a turning point, it was the Rangers’ continued failure on the suddenly ice cold power play. After Trocheck drew an errant high stick from William Carrier, the five-on-four continued to do very little. Martin only had to stop one Trocheck shot. Without Chris Kreider (back spasms) for a second straight game, they kept the first unit intact with Lafreniere used in front. It didn’t click. The second unit had better zone time. The Rangers went 0-for-2. They’ve now gone six straight games without a power-play goal.

After failing to score on it, another good shift from the fourth line nearly made it 3-1. Vesey passed the puck back for a Trouba point shot that rang off the far goalpost. That close to a two-goal lead. Instead, it remained 2-1.

It didn’t take the Hurricanes long to regain the momentum. With them starting to take over, it was Kotkaniemi who tied the score with 10:06 remaining. Shayne Gostisbehere sent a puck behind the net for Eric Robinson, who kept it moving to Kotkaniemi. He then went around Miller and beat Shesterkin on a wraparound. As poorly as Miller played that, the goal was on Shesterkin. He wasn’t where he needed to be.

Shesterkin then prevented Jarvis from giving the Canes the lead on the next shift. Unfortunately, Trocheck hooked Jarvis to go to the penalty box. It’s one thing for him to take bad penalties when he’s playing well. But quite another when he’s been miserable. Of course, that penalty proved to be the difference in the game.

The Hurricanes went ahead thanks to their second unit. Jack Roslovic and Drury combined to find Blake wide open in the slot. Blake had all night to fire home his seventh to make it 4-3 with 7:59 left in regulation. A closer look at the play that started in transition will show that Miller got caught puck watching.

Once Roslovic moved the puck over to Drury, Fox had him. For some reason, Miller drifted over. That created an opening in front. Sam Carrick went over to Kotkaniemi. Cuylle switched onto the man who drove to the net. That left Blake alone for the go-ahead tally.

It was another bad night for Miller. He was on for a goal against at even strength and at fault for the Blake game-winner. He and Trouba struggled after being reunited. That isn’t a surprise. There aren’t many options left. Unless Laviolette decides to split up Jones and Schneider, the defense will continue to have issues. It’s all about fixing the top four. Jones is the best skater they have. Why not try him with Trouba? Miller worked well with Schneider during last postseason. That hasn’t been tried yet. If they did that, Lindgren would still be left with Fox.

The final portion of the game was disappointing. The Rangers could barely do anything. With Shesterkin off for an extra attacker, they set up one shot. Lafreniere took it from the right circle with Trocheck in front. But Martin made the big save to get the whistle.

That was it. Zibanejad lost a board battle to Jordan Martinook, who then missed the empty net. Zibanejad’s game is so soft that it’s mystifying how Laviolette continues to play him in key situations. He has no business being on the top unit. Cuylle should replace him until Kreider returns. Cuylle can be the net front presence.

I also disagree with the coach on who he had out at the end of the game. It’s easy to roll with your top guys. But they were brutal. There’s no reason Berard couldn’t have been rewarded. The same for Edstrom or Vesey. Those were their most effective forwards.

There isn’t anything else to say. This team plays like a bunch of turkeys. Most of the veterans deserve cold turkey today. They’re the ones failing to get the job done.

The Rangers will finally have a back-to-back this holiday weekend. They’ll first visit the Flyers for the Black Friday special. On Saturday, they’ll host the Canadiens. Both games start at 1 PM. I should be able to catch some of tomorrow’s game. I have plans for Saturday. Hopefully, I’ll get something up.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter/X at NewYorkPuck.

You can email me at kovy274hart@yahoo.com.

Peace and joy.

Derek