Rangers blow late lead in OT loss to Golden Knights

The Rangers extended the worst home record in the NHL this season, while also continuing another disturbing losing trend.

The Blueshirts now have played five sets of back-to-back games among their first 31 contests, and they have lost on the back end every time after allowing the tying goal in the final minute of regulation before falling 3-2 to the Golden Knights at the Garden on Jack Eichel’s net-crashing goal with eight seconds remaining in overtime.

Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière potted second-period goals about four minutes apart during a 17-shot second period but the Rangers did not receive a power play in the game in falling to 3-9-2 at home this season and to 15-13-3 overall ahead of Wednesday’s visit to Chicago.

Backup goalie Jonathan Quick made 26 saves in his first start since Nov. 22 due to a lower-body injury. He held a 2-1 lead until the Golden Knights pulled goalie Carter Hart during a 4-on-4 in the final minute, with Tomas Hertl burying a rebound in front for a tie game with 51.3 seconds remaining.

Vegas opened the scoring just 36 seconds into the match, taking advantage of Vladislav Gavrikov’s turnover along the defensive-zone boards with a conversion by former Rangers center Brett Howden at the left post for a quick 1-0 deficit.

Howden nearly connected again about seven minutes later, beating Quick’s glove but ringing the puck off the right post.

The sluggish Rangers managed just one shot against Hart over the first 14-plus minutes, despite Sam Carrick attempting to spark the bench and the home crowd with a spirited fight against Golden Knights winger Keegan Kolesar just before the midpoint of the period.

Quick was needed to gobble up a rebound attempt by Mark Stone from the slot and another from close range on a deflection by Hertl shortly thereafter, giving the Knights a 7-1 shot advantage.

Vincent Trocheck finally managed the Rangers’ second official SOG with a wrister with under six minutes to play, right after Conor Sheary rang one off the crossbar.

Zibanejad finally drew the Rangers even with his 11th of the season on a rebound stuff at the right post off Lafrenière’s deflection of Matthew Robertson’s left-point wrist shot at the 9:08 mark. It was Zibanejad’s fourth goal in his last six appearances and extended his point streak to seven games.

The Rangers carried much of the play in the middle session, with Hart denying Sheary’s backhanded bid in alone shortly after Zibanejad’s equalizer.

The Garden crowd erupted when Lafrenière ripped home his seventh — but first non empty-netter in seven games since Nov. 24 vs. St. Louis — a roofed wrist shot off a feed from Zibanejad that whistled over Hart’s glove for a 2-1 home lead at 13:01.

Artemi Panarin was whistled for a high-sticking call in the final minute of the period, the only power play for either team, but Quick and the Rangers killed it off at the start of the third to maintain the one-goal advantage.