‘We are where we are’: Rangers’ season looks hopeless after latest loss
The New York Rangers’ 2-0 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night was a fitting end to the pre-Olympic portion of their schedule.
At 22-29-6, the Artemi Panarin-less Blueshirts are dead last in the Eastern Conference and third from the bottom in the overall standings. The shutout loss was their NHL-worst ninth of the season, with seven of those coming at the Garden. They’ve lost four in a row and seven of eight. The Rangers won just three times in 18 games following the Christmas break and haven’t won in regulation at MSG since defeating the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Nov. 24. Their six home wins are tied for the fewest in the NHL.
It was their first game since trading Panarin, their leading scorer and most dynamic player, to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. One night later, they played like a team that already threw in the towel.
“I will acknowledge that we’re in a little bit of a difficult circumstance,” coach Mike Sullivan said postgame in perhaps the understatement of the season. “None of us really want to be in this position or having any enjoyment or fulfillment in the position we’re in, but the reality is we are where we are.
“I’m trying to be understanding of that as their coach, and (to) do our best as a coaching staff to support those guys and push them through the process.”
At least they can’t lose another game for three weeks.
The NHL is off for three weeks to allow players to compete at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The Rangers don’t play again until the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Garden on Feb. 26. It’s the first of 25 games in the final 49 days of the season.
That should be a fun stretch.
The final score Thursday belied the Hurricanes’ domination. Carolina outshot New York 43-16, out-attempted them 86-37 and made Andrei Svechnikov’s goal 6:26 into the game stand up until Jordan Staal hit the empty net with 54 seconds remaining. Jonathan Quick’s 41-save performance was all that prevented a rout on the scoreboard.
“I think he did his very best to drag us into the fight,” said Sullivan, who was clearly unhappy with his team’s effort. “We needed more guys to do that for us.”
Rangers’ post-Olympic outlook bleak after loss to Hurricanes
Quick was just about the only Ranger who showed up — in the words of an old Pete Seeger folk song, the rest of the team’s “get up and go, done got up and went.” That’s what really perturbed Sullivan; he made it clear after the game that he wants to see more pride from his players despite the fact that they’re all but certain to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season
“I thought tonight we lacked a certain competitive spirit,” Sullivan said. “That just is simply unacceptable on our part, and that was my discussion.”
Captain J.T. Miller was a little more succinct.
“From the drop of the puck, we got outplayed all night,” Miller said afterward. “It wasn’t good enough. We wanted to go into the break feeling good about ourselves, and it’s quite the opposite right now. So, it sucks.”
Three Rangers – Miller and center Vincent Trocheck (Team USA) and center Mika Zibanejad (Sweden) — are headed to the Winter Games, as is Sullivan, who will coach the United States, and assistant David Quinn, who will serve the same role under Sullivan in Italy.
“It’s a huge honor to be able to go over and represent your country — something I’ve dreamt of my whole life,” Trocheck said. “Going to make sure I take it all in.”
For everyone else, it’s a chance to get some time off before the sprint to what looks like a dreary finish. The Rangers missed the playoffs last season but were in the hunt until the final week or so; this year’s team is done like dinner.
Trocheck is among those who might not be a Ranger when play resumes in three weeks.
As a solid two-way center with a very manageable contract (three seasons remaining with a $5.625 million average annual value), he could find himself on the move after the roster freeze ends on Feb. 22. GM Chris Drury, who got very little in return for Panarin – largely because the Breadman had a full no-move clause that gave him all the leverage – said in “Letter 2.0” on Jan. 16 that the Rangers want to “target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward.”
Sounds great. The near-term reality is a lot bleaker. No. 1 goaltender Igor Shesterkin and top-pair defenseman Adam Fox figure to be back soon after play resumes, but the lack of scoring that’s been obvious all season is still a major issue. The Rangers can’t win with the kind of effort they put forth on Thursday – and getting his team to play hard as the season continues to collapse around them could be the biggest challenge of Sullivan’s career.
