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Hartnett: Murphy's Law In Full Effect As Rangers Fall To Rival Isles

By Sean Hartnett
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Everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong for the Rangers during their 3-0 defeat to the rival Islanders on Tuesday night.

Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault predicted days earlier that the highly anticipated showdown would be "a New York classic." It turned out to be a night to forget for the sluggish Blueshirts.

The Islanders doused an on-fire Rangers team that had previously won 13 of 14 games. For long spells in each of three periods, the speedy Isles controlled the puck and pinned the Rangers deep in their own end.

"They hemmed us in," winger Rick Nash said. "When we did get it out, we couldn't get the puck deep in the neutral zone.

"We fed right into their game plan. When you play against them, they're a really good team to play a heavy game like that. They're a tough team to play against. They play the right way, they get pucks deep, they get a forecheck, they lock you in your own zone and they kind of drain all the momentum from your game."

Luck was not on the Rangers' side. The hosts rung the post four times in the first period, including a bizarre sequence where Nash and Derick Brassard hit the right post three times within a matter of seconds. Isles netminder Jaroslav Halak was barely tested for the remaining two periods, as the Rangers lost countless battles in their own end. They went on to surrender a season-high 44 shots.

"We got outskated, outbattled in our own zone for sure," captain Ryan McDonagh said. "We haven't given up that many shots in a long time, since I can remember. We didn't have the puck a lot because we were the slower team tonight."

Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist endured a heavy workload. Lundqvist allowed three goals on 32 shots over two periods before being replaced by backup Cam Talbot at the start of the third period.

The Eastern Conference-leading Islanders have now gained a seven-point advantage over the fourth-place Rangers in the Metropolitan Division, though the Blueshirts have three games in hand.

STEPAN SUFFERS UPPER-BODY INJURY; UPDATE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY

Concern about the Rangers' hideous performance was quickly overshadowed by the uncertain status of key center Derek Stepan.

Vigneault confirmed that Stepan had suffered an "upper-body injury" during his postgame press conference. He did not mention any timetable and expects to know more about the injury on Wednesday. The Rangers are scheduled to practice at noon in Greenburgh. Vigneault will be available to the media following practice.

Islanders winger Matt Martin appeared to slash Stepan on the right hand during the first period. Stepan sat on the bench without a glove on his right hand for much of the second period. He only skated for three shifts in the second period and did not return for the third period. The 24-year-old alternate captain only played for 6:55.

"It's tough shoes to fill when a guy like that goes down," Nash said. "But it gives other guys a chance to step up. Guys like Miller and Hayes tend to earn more ice time and can show what they can do. As bad as it is to lose him, you've got to look at some kind of positive out of it."

The Rangers cannot afford to lose Stepan for an extended period. Stepan is trusted by Vigneault in all situations. He averages the highest minutes per game of all Ranger forwards at 18:09 TOI/GP. Through 28 games, Stepan has scored six goals and collected 21 assists. His 0.96 points per game only trails Nash's P/GP of 1.02.

When asked whether other forwards are capable of assuming larger roles should Stepan miss time, Vigneault responded: "If he's not there, we're gonna find out."

Filling Stepan's minutes could prove to be problematic. Brassard was double-shifted following Stepan's injury. Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore serve as third and fourth line centers when the Rangers have a fully-healthy lineup. J.T. Miller is capable of playing center, though Vigneault prefers to deploy Miller as a winger. In a scenario which Stepan is unavailable, the most straightforward solution would be moving Miller to center and reinserting Tanner Glass as a fourth line winger.

When Stepan missed the first 12 games of the regular season, Vigneault experimented with Martin St. Louis at center. Previously, St. Louis had only played as winger during his 16-year NHL career.

Journeyman center Chris Mueller performed fairly well during a seven-game stint with the Rangers earlier this season before he was sent to minor-league Hartford. Oscar Lindberg is considered to have some upside as a two-way center. The 23-year-old Swede is yet to make his NHL debut.

The Rangers will play three road games in four nights between Thursday and Sunday in Boston, Columbus and Pittsburgh. Throughout January and February, the Rangers' schedule becomes increasingly packed. There's a tremendous difference between a healthy Stepan and various teammates attempting to assume his roles by committee.

Follow Sean on Twitter – @HartnettHockey.

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