They fell a little short of winning a third straight game. Instead, the Rangers suffered a frustrating 3-2 overtime loss to the Avalanche last night. They blew a one-goal lead late in regulation when Artturi Lehkonen took advantage of a bad rebound Igor Shesterkin left to tie the score with 1:13 left in regulation. After having some chances to win it, the Rangers lost on a Devon Toews goal with less than 37 seconds remaining in overtime.

By failing to pick up the extra point, they fell to five behind the Blue Jackets for the second wild card. The Blue Jackets came back to defeat the Flyers in a shootout. They have 48 points in 44 games. The Rangers have 43 points in 43 games. They still are behind five teams in the wild card race. Unless they can put together a winning streak, it’s hard to picture them making the playoffs. A lot would have to break right in order for that to happen. It isn’t insurmountable, but they can’t afford to blow games like Tuesday night.

In a game where they were the better team, it was the role players who came through. With the Rangers behind 1-0, Sam Carrick continued his good run by stealing the puck from Cale Makar and scoring a shorthanded goal to tie the score at 11:55 of the first period. With the Avs on a power play, Makar fumbled the puck at the point, which allowed Carrick to turn it into a breakaway and then pull off a forehand deke on Mackenzie Blackwood for his second goal in the last three games. Carrick would also be involved later when he sent Adam Edstrom in for a breakaway goal that put the Rangers up 2-1 at the halfway mark of the second period.

That kind of effort deserved to be rewarded. To his credit, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has been giving Carrick more ice time. For the second straight game, the fourth line made a difference. Unlike the 2-1 win over the Golden Knights on Jan. 11, Carrick moved back down to center Edstrom and Matt Rempe on the fourth line due to the returns of Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider. It was the effective play of Carrick, Edstrom and Rempe that stood out against the Avalanche, who struggled defensively. If not for Blackwood making 27 saves, including robbing Mika Zibanejad on a breakaway in overtime, they don’t come back to win the game.

After starting slowly, the Rangers fell behind on a Parker Kelly goal less than five minutes in. Kelly was left all alone in front to take a Ross Colton feed and beat Shesterkin. Both Kreider and Arthur Kaliyev vacated the slot on the goal. The Avs could’ve gotten more, but Shesterkin shut the door on Nathan MacKinnon to keep the deficit at one.

Despite a frantic pace that favored the Avalanche, the Rangers settled in and played a good road period. With Kreider off for taking down Makar, Carrick tied the game by scoring the Rangers’ sixth shorthanded goal of the season. The unassisted tally came at 11:55.

The Rangers had some looks to go ahead late in the period. But Blackwood denied Reilly Smith by kicking out a low shot to keep the game deadlocked after one. It remained that way until Carrick sent in Edstrom on a breakaway. He made no mistake by beating Blackwood with a quick shot for his fourth of the season. That gave him goals in two straight for the first time in his career.

If there was a disappointment, it was the lack of finish from the team’s best players. Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere were unable to bury chances on Blackwood, who had a strong game. That also included both Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck missing wide on good opportunities.

Even in a more defensive-minded third period, the Rangers looked like they were in control. The Avalanche didn’t really generate a whole lot on Shesterkin. Following a successful penalty kill late in regulation, it looked like they would earn their third consecutive win. Instead, with Blackwood off for an extra attacker, MacKinnon fed Mikko Rantanen for a one-timer that Shesterkin couldn’t handle. That allowed Lehkonen to slam home the rebound with 73 seconds left to force overtime.

In it, Rantanen took an interference minor on Adam Fox to put the Rangers on the power play. Laviolette went exclusively with a four-man unit of Fox, Panarin, Zibanejad, and Kreider. They moved the puck around to set up shots, but most missed the mark, with both Kreider and Panarin unable to find the net. It was an embarrassment. For as good as Blackwood was, none of the Rangers’ stars made Rantanen pay for a bad penalty.

When Zibanejad got behind the Avalanche for a clean breakaway, Blackwood beat him by flashing his glove to deny a forehand. With it apparent that the top guns were running on fumes, Laviolette doubled up by sending out Fox, Panarin, and Zibanejad. They got victimized on Toews’ overtime winner.

If there’s a gripe with the defeat, it’s how Laviolette overused his veterans in OT. None of them proved capable of beating Blackwood. It wouldn’t have hurt to put out Carrick and Edstrom for a shift. Granted, it would’ve been a tough assignment against the star-laded Avs. In a recent 3-2 win over the Devils on Jan. 9, it was Carrick who made a key defensive play on Jack Hughes that led to him converting a Smith pass on a two-on-one in overtime.

That game was a little different. Neither Chytil nor Kreider were available. So, Laviolette had Carrick and Smith take a shift together. Usually, coaches tend to cut down on their bench for three-on-three. While that’s true, it was the play of Carrick and Edstrom that was noticeable against the Avalanche. Maybe Laviolette should’ve gone with more instinct. The Rangers’ best players weren’t their best on Tuesday night. Undoubtedly, they’ll need more from Panarin and company the rest of the way.