JT Miller slams Rangers’ inexcusably flat start: ‘It’s bad’

CALGARY, Alberta – The Rangers got off to another slow start that they couldn’t recover from Sunday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

After trailing by two goals through the first 9:21 of the game, the Blueshirts were able to score just one goal before the Flames pinned another three on goaltender Igor Shesterkin for one goal. Winning 5-1.

Not only did the Flames double the Rangers’ output over the first 20 minutes (12-5), but the visitors gave up the first goal of the game within two minutes for the second time in as many contests.

“You can’t be OK with him coming off the field,” Rangers captain JT Miller said after the Rangers fell to 3-5-2 on the season. “We’re not in a position to get out of this. Get in the right mindset. We’re ready to go. We were outscored again in the first half. It kind of set that in check. I thought we had a good second period. A couple fouls hurt us. But other than that, we had a good second period and a good third period. Obviously we’re not getting a lot of rebounds offensively, so that’s more than one reason.”

“There’s no excuses for getting flat. It sucks. It’s not fun right now. We need to get the starts right. I think it’s become like a trend now, so we need to fix that now on this road trip. I mean, it’s a tough road trip, so we’ve got to be ready to go to start the game.”

Rangers coach Mike Sullivan agreed with Miller’s sentiment, noting that the team had opportunities to kill plays on the half-wall and instead were “hunting pucks.”

“It’s a key aspect of playing defense, making sure you control people’s bodies and making plays between the puck and the man,” he said. “You’re shooting pucks, and there’s a lot of talented people in this league, so I think we’ve got to do a better job of that attention to detail right from the point of the puck.”

Noah Lapa scored his first career goal to cut the Flames’ lead in half in the first period, driving home and burying the puck past Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolfe.

“He brings energy, and he can really skate,” Sullivan said. “He has an element of speed in his game. I think he creates anxiety. He draws the penalty for example because he’s chasing a defender. That’s the element of speed. He scored a great goal. I think he had one of his best games for us, just in terms of using his skating and his speed to his advantage. I think that’s one of the strengths of his game. He’s brought that element to our team.”

Shesterkin stopped 25 of the 30 shots he faced in his sixth loss of the season.

Brennan Osman made his first appearance of the season and appeared in his 26th NHL game.

Osman logged 12:31 of ice time in his first game with the Rangers this season, registering one shot on goal and finishing with a one-point lead.

After opening the season 1-4, the Wolf Pack picked up a 6-3 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday. Gabe Perrault, Dylan Robrock, Bryce McConnell-Parker and Blake Hillman led the way with a goal and an assist each.