Rangers face grim future after sweep by Isles: ‘It’s frustrating, for sure’
The New York Rangers are sinking not-so-slowly in the East. Unlike 2024-25, when they were in the hunt for a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs until the final days of the season, their postseason hopes are all but over.
They dropped to 22-27-6 after losing 2-1 to the New York Islanders on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, leaving them 15 points behind the third-place Islanders in the Metropolitan Division and 17 behind the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins, who own the two wild-card berths in the Eastern Conference.
To see the Rangers skate off the ice at MSG after losing to the Islanders on back-to-back nights to complete an 0-4-0 season series against their suburban rivals was to watch a team that knows it’s going to spend the next two-plus months playing out the string.
“We had enough chances to score a few more and get a better result, but that wasn’t the case,” said center Mika Zibanejad, whose power-play goal early in the third period accounted for the Rangers only scoring. “As positive as we try to be, or try to look for the positives, it’s hard to be when you lose another game.
“Just in general I thought we were better in the O-zone. I thought 5-on-5 we played a pretty decent game. I guess it wasn’t enough.”
The Isles outscored the Rangers 14-3 in the four victories — and for the first time ever, the Blueshirts didn’t hold a lead against the Islanders at any point in a season series. Defenseman Carson Soucy, traded by the Rangers to the Islanders on Monday, scored at 17:18 of the second period to open the scoring, and rookie D-man Matthew Schaefer beat Jonathan Quick 1:35 later for what proved to be the game-winner.
“It’s frustrating, for sure,” captain J.T. Miller said postgame. “I think that at some point it’s hard to come up with answers other than put the puck in the net more often. I really believe, I think we all believe, if you do the same thing a lot more times than you don’t, you’re going to get the results. This year, pucks aren’t finding the mark as much as we would like as a team, obviously.
“I thought we played well enough to win the game today. It was one of those tight-checking games. Seems to kind of always be like that against the Islanders, just didn’t come out on the right side of it.”
Rangers try to ‘compartmentalize’ decision to trade Artemi Panarin
The biggest near-term question is where team scoring leader Artemi Panarin is headed. The Rangers announced before the 5-2 loss to the Islanders on Wednesday that Panarin is being held out of the lineup before the Olympic roster freeze begins at 3 p.m. ET on Feb. 4 for “roster management” – meaning that he’s all but certainly played his last game with the Blueshirts.
“I think that’s just the human element of sports,” coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday when asked about the emotional impact of Panarin’s situation on his players. “Does it weigh on these guys? Of course — they’re human beings.
“I think they’re doing a great job of compartmentalizing it, and when we walk through the doors and are getting ready to play, we compete. We play hard for each other, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
Panarin’s agent has permission to negotiate an extension with any team the Breadman would waive his no-movement clause for, sources told ESPN. Panarin’s preference reportedly is to switch teams with a new deal in place. The Rangers would be willing to retain part of Panarin’s $11.64 million salary-cap hit, but they are seeking a hefty return and hope to get a first-round pick and top prospect or young roster player. Several teams remained in the mix as of Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Rangers are without the player who’s led them in scoring in each of the previous six seasons, as well as No. 1 goaltender (Igor Shesterkin) and top defenseman (Adam Fox), both due to lower-body injuries.
“Obviously a big part of the team,” Miller said of Panarin. “I know he’s been here with a lot of the guys. Stuff like that is emotional. It’s part of the business, and it sucks. He’s a driver of the team; he’s a great guy.”
The Rangers face the top two teams in the Metropolitan Division in their final games before the Olympic break. They visit the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins, who’ve won five in a row after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Thursday, in a nationally televised game Saturday afternoon, then get four days off before hosting the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 4.
Where do Rangers go from here?
One key will be to give development time to young players, most notably forward Gabe Perreault and defenseman Scott Morrow.
Perreault, the best prospect in a relatively barren talent pipeline, showed flashes of the skill that led the Rangers to take him in the first round (No. 23 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. His setup pass to Miller for the Rangers’ second goal in the loss on Wednesday was an indication of what he can do on the ice, as were the two Grade A chances he had in the third period Thursday.
His lack of size and footspeed are drawbacks the Rangers hope his skills and high hockey IQ can overcome. Given their circumstances, there’s no reason Perreault shouldn’t remain in the top six, including power-play time, so the Rangers can get a better idea of what they have.
Morrow, who came to the Rangers as part of the package in the deal that sent defenseman K’Andre Miller to Carolina on July 1, is going through growing pains, but he’s played better in the past couple of weeks.
“I think Scotty’s making progress,” Sullivan said. “He’s more decisive with his decision making; there’s not as much hesitation. I think he’s playing the game with more conviction, and that’s something we’re trying to encourage him to do — trust his instincts, play with conviction and go with it.
“I think he’s trying to be harder at the net front. I think he’s trying to close on people and kill plays down low in the defensive zone. I think one of his better qualities is along the offensive blue line — just his ability to get pucks through. We think he’s making progress.”
The progress by those two figures to be a key barometer of the Rangers future success after what’s shaping up as another lost season.
