Rangers allow season-high 8 goals, lose to Sabres in first game after 4 Nations Face-Off break

BUFFALO — Realistically, the Rangers were never going to win all 27 games they had remaining in the regular season when they returned from the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off break. They had to know that in their desperate push to make the playoffs, there would be a few losses along the way.

But a loss like this, a thorough 8-2 drubbing at the hands of a Sabres team that is last in the Eastern Conference and the only team in the East that is out of the playoff hunt — for now — is as inexcusable as it was inexplicable.

The eight goals allowed were a season-worst.

“It’s just, like, embarrassing,’’ Artemi Panarin said.

“There was nothing that was good about the game,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said. “Terrible start. Terrible first period. Didn’t get much better from there. It was not the game that we were looking for coming out of the break.’’

In their first period after the break, the Rangers allowed five goals — the most they’ve allowed in any period this season — and saw goaltender Igor Shesterkin pulled after allowing the fifth goal as the Rangers dug a 5-0 hole. Jonathan Quick replaced him before the period was over.

Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin scored two goals in the first period, and forwards Tage Thompson and Ryan McLeod each had one and added a second in the third.

“They worked their butt off, and kind of outworked us,’’ forward J.T. Miller said. “We . . . left the goalies hanging out to dry. So I know we’re gonna be better tomorrow. It just sucks right now.’’

The loss dropped the Rangers (27-25-4, 58 points) further back in the playoff race. They are four points back of the last playoff spot in the East, with six games left before the March 7 trade deadline, including a Sunday afternoon game against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

For Shesterkin, who was returning after suffering an upper-body injury he sustained in his last start (Feb. 7), this was the fourth time this season he has been pulled from a start, and it was the earliest he’s been pulled (he allowed five goals on 16 shots).

In his last six starts, the 29-year-old Russian — who in December signed an eight-year, $92 million contract extension that will make him the highest-paid goaltender in NHL history — has allowed 24 goals on 131 shots for an .817 save percentage.

Shesterkin was requested for a postgame interview, but did not make himself available.

Asked to evaluate Shesterkin’s play or explain why he pulled him, Laviolette declined.

“There’s no sense talking about any one particular individual inside of this gathering right here,’’ Laviolette said. “We weren’t good as a team, and we got what we deserved.’’

Chris Kreider scored on the power play early in the second period. It was his 116th career power-play goal, tying him with Camille Henry for the all-time franchise lead.

Mika Zibanejad scored three seconds after a power play expired in the second period to pull the Rangers with 5-2.

But any thoughts of a miracle comeback ended when Thompson scored at 3:47 of the third period to make it 6-2, and McLeod scored at 5:40 to make it 7-2. Henri Jokiharju scored in the final minute to close the scoresheet.

“If we scored the third one [to pull within 5-3], maybe it would be better,’’ Panarin said. “But . . . we just lost game 8-2.’’

How aggressively general manager Chris Drury will seek to improve the roster after this loss now figures to be a question. Ottawa, Detroit, Columbus and Boston are ahead of the Rangers in the battle for the two wild-card spots and the Rangers don’t exactly have a ton of expendable assets to offer up for reinforcements.

Drury may choose to do nothing at the deadline – or perhaps he may even be a seller, offloading pending free agents such as defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Zac Jones, and forwards Reilly Smith and Jimmy Vesey.

As has happened often this season, the Rangers fell behind early against the Sabres.

Defenseman K’Andre Miller turned the puck over to Buffalo’s Jack Quinn in the neutral zone and then fell down, giving Quinn a two-on-one break. Defenseman Urho Vaakanainen chose to shut off the passing lane and allow Shesterkin to deal with Quinn, whose shot hit the goalie’s pad and squeaked through to give Buffalo the lead at 1:46.

It was the 20th time this season the Rangers have allowed a goal in the first five minutes of a game.

Buffalo made it 2-0 on Dahlin’s first goal at 11:58. Thompson, who was left off Team USA for the 4 Nations tournament, made it 3-0 at 15:32 and then goals from McLeod at 17:33 and Dahlin at 18:21 made it 5-0. Shesterkin was pulled after the fifth goal.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.