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Rangers’ glaring power-play issues are their undoing in loss to Oilers
The New York Rangers lost 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers, with their ineffective power play a major reason they could not turn a competitive game into a closer result. They kept the contest relatively low-scoring despite facing a team led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but failed to score on five power plays.
The Rangers entered the game with a 20.8 per cent power-play success rate, ranking 19th in the NHL, and recent changes to their units and the use of Adam Fox in multiple shifts had not improved matters. McDavid scored to extend his point streak to 19 games, Draisaitl scored twice, and Rangers rookie Jaroslav Chmelar kept his team in the game with a shorthanded goal after a successful penalty kill against a 5-on-3.
In short
- Rangers went 0-for-5 on the power play in a 3-1 defeat.
- McDavid extended his scoring streak to 19 games.
- Chmelar scored his first career shorthanded goal.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Rangers’ inability to score on five power plays was a decisive missed opportunity: against a potent Edmonton side, converting even once could have changed the pressure and momentum of a close game. Their middling season rate and recent unsuccessful unit changes suggest the problem may need a more substantial tactical response.
The case against
A single loss does not by itself show that the power play is the main problem or that recent changes have failed; Edmonton’s strong players and penalty killing deserve credit, while the Rangers kept the score close and produced a shorthanded goal. With a 20.8 per cent success rate, the power play is not among the league’s worst, so this game may be better seen as one disappointing performance than proof of a broader failing.