The New York Rangers suffered their first loss at home, and with the team now on a three-game skid, some worries are starting to set in. 

Following a fantastic start to the season, the Rangers have not played their best of late. This is a team that has all of a sudden started to make far too many mistakes, and the defensive breakdowns are costing them. 

New York was never going to be an explosive offense and was built on playing good defense and using that end of the ice to create offense. However, while there have been some miscues, the injuries for the team have also piled up and have contributed to the struggles. 

On Monday, the Rangers started veteran James Reimer, who was just signed to the team and didn’t have a ton of work leading into the game. 

After the loss, Mike Sullivan spoke about the decision to pull Reimer and took the blame for putting the veteran in a tough spot. 

“I put him in a tough spot. You know, you know that that’s on me.” Sullivan said to Rangers On SI. 

Reimer Gets Put in Tough Spot

After just signing with the team and not getting a ton of work in before this game, it was certainly not an ideal scenario for the veteran. While Reimer is a professional, this was not an easy spot, but New York really wanted to get Dylan Garand some rest. 

Unfortunately, the first shot that Reimer faced in the game was on a breakaway goal by Taylor Ward just over a minute into the game. It didn’t get any easier for Reimer in the period with the Kings scoring two more goals. 

Overall, the 38-year-old saved just five of the eight shots that he faced. While the first goal was an excusable one with the defensive breakdown, the other two were not. 

With the game still being within reach at the time after the first period, going back to Garand to try and get back in was the goal. However, it is never easy for a goalie to come off the bench, and Garand allowed two goals as well. 

Overall, with Igor Shesterkin out for the season, the goalie situation is officially a bit of a problem for the team now. New York is asking a lot of Garand right now, and while they didn’t put Reimer in a great spot on Monday night, they are starting to do the same with the workload of their young goalie. 

Hopefully Joonas Korpisalo will be able to return soon for the team and provide some relief and help a situation that has become a bit messy all of a sudden.