The Rangers are having no problems leaping out to leads in recent games. But ushering the lead through 60 minutes has become a growing challenge.
For the second straight home game the Rangers raced out to a three-goal advantage, only to see it evaporate in the late stages. And so once more they were forced to settle for the single point out of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night in the opener of a three-game homestand at Madison Square Garden.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson tied the score with 3:01 remaining, and Derek Stepan scored the game-winner with 31.1 seconds to play in the 3-on-3 overtime as the Blueshirts fell to 2-5-2 over the last nine, while the Coyotes snapped a four-game losing streak and beat the Rangers for the first time in more than five years.
"It's tough to accept this one. It was a game that was right there for us," Henrik Lundqvist said. "Our power play was really good, but we still had a lot more opportunities to put the game away. We didn't, and they come back in the end."
Recap: Rangers Fall to Coyotes in OT Despite Early Lead
© Scott Levy