Losers in 13 of their past 17 games, including a 5-0 no-show against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, the Rangers once again set about to turn things around. In the past two months, they’ve pointed to getting away and playing on the road, or the return to Madison Square Garden, or getting players back from injury, or the aftermath of trades, or closed-door meetings as the salve for their (mostly) self-inflicted wounds.

Now, it’s the “re-set,” to use coach Peter Laviolette’s word, from the NHL holiday break.

Eventually, it’s got to be something that gets the Rangers (16-17-1) headed in the right direction again.

They return from the break tied for last in the Metropolitan Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference with the Islanders. They are five points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card from the East.

The time must be now to turn things around.

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New York Rangers news

Here are our three things to watch for when Rangers visit the Lightning, including Igor Shesterkin’s career brilliance against Bolts.

The Rangers are expected to have K’Andre Miller back in the lineup against the Lightning. The 24-year-old defenseman was activated from IR on Friday after he missed six games with an upper-body injury.

Speaking of Miller, outspoken former Rangers agitator Sean Avery said on the Spittin Chiclets podcast that Blueshirts need to trade the young d-man. Oh, he also stated that Laviolette should be fired.

Our John Kreiser took a deep dive into where the Rangers stand coming out of the break, how they got there, and what their chances are of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.

In the not-too-distant future, the Rangers top two prospects should be options to help the team out. However, here’s why that time is not quite right now for Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann.

NHL news

This isn’t exactly the way the Vancouver Canucks want to come out of the break. They’ll likely be without star defenseman Quinn Hughes and center Elias Pettersson when they host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Each has an undisclosed injury.

Speaking of injuries, Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment left a 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild after he was struck in the face by a deflected shot, and didn’t return.

The Colorado Avalanche locked up pending UFA goalie Mackenzie Blackwood with a five-year, $5.25 million AAV contract, just 18 days after acquiring him in a trade with the San Jose Sharks (for former Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev).

It’s looking like Alex Ovechkin could return Saturday when the Washington Capitals skate against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s been out more than a month with a fractured fibula, but practiced on the top line and No. 1 power-play unit on Friday.

As for the Maple Leafs, they’re without star center Auston Matthews for the fourth straight game because of a lingering upper-body injury. He also missed a 5-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday.

Mitchell Marner had a natural hat trick for the Maple Leafs against the Red Wings. Watch his three goals here.

In fact, Friday was a night for hat tricks in the NHL. Besides Marner, there were two other players who recorded hat tricks. Watch Artturi Lehkonen notch the first hatty of his NHL career in a 4-1 win for the Colorado Avalanche against the Utah Hockey Club; and here’s a look a look at Alex Tuch’s hat trick in a 6-2 Buffalo Sabres win against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The biggest game affecting the Metropolitan Division standings was played between the first-place Devils and third-place Carolina Hurricanes. Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves in a 4-2 Devils win.

The Rangers (16-17-1) are tied for last in the Metropolitan Division and have lost 13 of their past 17 games (4-13-0) ahead of a visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

Avery believes changes need to be made and didn’t hold back when discussing K’Andre Miller, the 24-year-old defenseman who’s due a hefty pay raise as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.

“As far as K’Andre, you got to move him now,” Avery said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. “You got to move him now, while he has trade value. It’s not going to work out. He’s not a big-market guy. He doesn’t have the demeanor of Ryan McDonough, because Ryan McDonough, when you put him in a war zone, he turns into a real warrior quick.”

Miller had 43 points two seasons ago as a 22-year-old. He dropped off to 30 points last season. But this season he has just six points (two goals, four assists) in 28 games and is minus-5, though still averaging 21:21 TOI, second most among Rangers defenseman.

Once predicted to be a star in the NHL, many now fear that Miller won’t achieve that kind of success in New York with the Rangers. Avery doesn’t believe Miller is worth the money he could get on his next contract, so trade him now — just as the Rangers just did with 23-year-old forward Kaapo Kakko.

“So, if you’re running the team, if you’re managing that org chart and you’re also trying to stay in it, you move him now,” Avery explained. “You gotta move early before and ‘Dru’ (general manager Chris Drury) did a great job with Kakko getting a third and a sixth (picks in the 2025 NHL Draft). I mean, that is a steal for that kid, an absolute steal.”

Moving Miller would create a major void on a thin Rangers defense corps. But he’s also likely Drury’s biggest chip to move ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7. It would be a serious play to trade Miller, once considered a lock to be part of New York’s next core of young talent.

But Avery has seen enough.

Right now, the Rangers are looking forward to Miller’s return from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for six games. He’s expected back against the Lightning, paired with Will Borgen, who, coincidentally was acquired from the Seattle Kraken in the Kakko trade last week.

Related: Why top 2 Rangers prospects aren’t yet available to help out in NHL

Sean Avery believes Rangers should fire Peter Laviolette

Avery wasn’t done with Rangers hot takes on Spittin’ Chiclets. The former NHL tough guy, who played 264 games over six seasons and two stints with the Rangers, also suggested the Rangers fire coach Peter Laviolette.

“I’d fire him today,” Avery said. “Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. You have to, you have to, guys. In a big market like that, Eastern Conference Finals last year were that close. It starts. Unfortunately, that’s part of it. Yeah, the coach goes first, but that’s where I get nervous.

“The coach goes, then who goes? Then, then who do you bring in? The whole system is broken, and the iPads on the bench. What do you want to see? You want to watch your release point on that one like, ‘I need you in the game, fellas.'”

The defending Presidents’ Trophy winner could have a point with Laviolette. But this core already helped get one coach, Gerard Gallant, fired. And you could say two, if you include David Quinn, though that’s up for debate.

Would Drury fire the coach who’s won a Stanley Cup championship (in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes) and led the Rangers to the most wins (55) and points (114) in franchise history? Or at least do so at this juncture?

Maybe. Maybe not. But Drury has already traded captain Jacob Trouba, and followed by shipping out Kakko, the No. 2 pick in 2019. That’s an indication anyone and everyone is fair game.

Avery sees Laviolette as the one who should go next — though he also acknowledged the difficulty in finding an adequate replacement and then deciding which players to ship out afterward.

But in the end, Avery wants to see the Rangers part ways with Miller and Laviolette — the sooner, the better.

The former Blueshirts forward referenced the 1994 Stanley Cup- winning Rangers in his NSFW video posted on social media. And he even had a special message for Rangers forward Jack Roslovic, who doesn’t appear to be a favorite of the ex-NHL bad boy.

But, in its simplest terms, Avery clearly believes that this Rangers team is one its fans should believe in.

“I’ve been bullish on this team for six years,” Avery stated. “This is the team. This is the team that’s finally built to win.”

And all the adversity that comes with losing two straight games after opening the second round with three consecutive wins? That’s a net positive.

“If we recall, reckon, ’94, it wasn’t a (expletive) cakewalk,” Avery continued. “I’m glad we’re getting a little (expletive) taste of humble pie ’cause these guys have to work through this (expletive). This not going to be a cakewalk. … But we’re fine.”

I’ve reposted a couple of Sean Avery’s rants from his podcast and Instagram lately, but with morale hitting it’s lowest in months, I figured it’d be a good idea just to go straight to the source. Enjoy! #NYR pic.twitter.com/ezMh80p072

— Snark Messier (@SnarkMessier) May 15, 2024

Related: Did Jacob Trouba just guarantee Rangers win in Game 6 against Hurricanes?

Sean Avery believes facing adversity will help Rangers in playoff run

Avery played with the Rangers for six seasons and in 28 Stanley Cup Playoff games in that span. He was most effective in the postseason, when he combined skill and an abrasive, agitating style to have some success.

He had five goals, 15 points and 69 penalty minutes in 28 career postseason games with the Rangers, the last in 2011.

Clearly, the 44-year-old is still a Rangers fan.

“We’re going to geta big game out of somebody … and we’ve got more somebodies than they (the Hurricanes) have somebodies,” Avery explained. “We bleed blue. So, everybody just batten down the hatches and enjoy the ride.”

One “somebody” Avery doesn’t appear to be a fan of is Roslovic. The 27-year-old has two goals and five points in nine postseason games, but is scoreless in the past four against Carolina.

“That (expletive) Roslovic, though, I give him one more (expletive) game to screw around like that,” he said. “We need dogs.”

And then to appeal even more so to the Blueshirts Faithful, Avery signed off with this gem.

“Let’s Go Rangers. Potvin sucks. And Fatso forgot to shake my hand!”

And the outspoken former Rangers forward has a message for those — like ESPN analyst P.K. Subban — who believe the hit was anything but fierce and legal.

“That’s a clean hit,” Avery said in a video posted on social media. “It’s the playoffs and if you don’t like playoff hockey, then go watch basketball because the New York Rangers are clearly not f****** around. That is obvious.”

Artemi Panarin did not get a penalty for this hit on TJ Oshie but Oshie has left the game https://t.co/khawdaZwwG

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 24, 2024

Avery racked up 1,533 penalty minutes and a several suspensions when he played 580 NHL games with the Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars from 2001-12. He knows all about clean hits and dirty ones, walking that fine line as a physical threat throughout his career.

So, it’s no surprise he enjoyed the team toughness Panarin and his teammates showed in the 4-3 win that gave New York a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

“We are not here to play … patty cake,” Avery continued. “We’re not here to make friends. This team is a f****** team. I’ll say it again, that’s a clean hit.”

Related: Matt Rempe plays role of outlaw on road

Sean Avery hypes massive Artemi Panarin hit in Game 2 against Capitals

Avery went on to compare Panarin to Walter White, the fictional character from the “Breaking Bad” television series, since both are fearless and, at least at the start of the season for Panarin, bald.

With that, Avery was just warming up his repertoire.

He then chose to totally create a funny, though false, narrative about how Panarin acquired his nickname.

“They call him ‘The Breadman’ because he’s in your f****** kitchen 24/7 making bread,” he said, referring to Panarin’s relentless attack mode.

The 44-year-old ex-Blueshirt knows a thing or two about getting in an opponent’s kitchen, and head, this time of the season. Avery was both a super pest and key playoff contributor with the Rangers, with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and 69 penalty minutes in 28 postseason games.

Avery was at the height of his powers during the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, harassing Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils at every turn and scoring three goals to help lead the Rangers to a 4-1 series win.

But that was then, and this is now. And Avery had one final thing to say in his video.

“That is a clean hit. That is playoff f****** hockey.”

The New York Rangers will square off tomorrow afternoon for the first time against the Pittsburgh Penguins to put some distance between them in the standings.

After a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday, they jumped over the the Penguins, who dropped a 6-1 decision to New Jersey. The Blueshirts are also 5-0-1 in their past six games, with just nine non-shootout goals allowed during that stretch.

That has those in the analytics community continuing to question if the Rangers are for real or just a byproduct of Igor Shesterkin.

Rangers Ryan Reaves no fan of analytics

Ryan Reaves, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds has made himself an integral piece of this Rangers team. This season, he has helped the Blueshirts to a 33-13-5 with his hard style of play and acting as a natural deterrent to keep other teams in check. It’s definitely not for his CorsiFor percentage.

“I’m not a big fan of analytics as is to be honest,” Reaves said. “Yeah, I look at the results. If you look at our team this season, we’re tied for most comeback wins in the league. We’re resilient and there’s not a lot that rattles us.”

When asked to address specifically the claim that the team is propped up by Igor Shesterkin, he made sure to bring things back to the team concept.

“You need a good goaltender to win and we obviously have one of the best in the league,” Reaves explained. “A lot of people like to say ‘your goaltender is holding you in games’, but he’s part of the team. We need him going, just like we need every other guy going.”

The New York Rangers acquired Reaves this past summer for a third round pick. Soon after, they extended the 35 year-old through 2022-23. The extension matches this season’s AAV at $1.75 million. He’s certainly been worth every penny as he leads the team with 186 hits, and has added 10 points in 44 games.

Sean Avery released from ECHL team

Well that was quick!

Sean Avery’s comeback bid with ECHL’s Solar Bears ends almost as soon as it started.

Per Team Release:

The Orlando Solar Bears have announced that the club has released forward Sean Avery from his ECHL Standard Player Contract.

Avery, 41, signed with the Solar Bears on Feb. 23. He did not appear in any games for Orlando.

Avery posted on his Instagram that he wanted to get back home to California and see his toddler son.

“God Bless the Orlando Solar Bears, the boys letting me skate for a few days. Three bag skates in a row and I loved every minute of it,” he said. “But I miss my little guy Nash too much. I have to get back to California to see him.”

NHL Rumors

Latest on Mark Giordano, Filip Forsberg, Devils, and Maple Leafs. Read more.

Look who is making a comeback. Former New York Rangers agitator Sean Avery just signed to play minor league hockey.

The infamous NHL bad boy Sean Avery signed with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, returning to the game after 10 years away.

Avery, 41, last appeared in an NHL game on Dec. 10, 2011, while a member of the New York Rangers. He said in his autobiography Ice Capades, that when he retired he threw his skates into the Hudson River.

The Solar Bears, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, announced Wednesday that Avery signed a standard player contract and had been placed on the team’s reserve list.

Sean Avery back on skates

“I’m in Winter Park, Florida and I just dropped off my equipment,” Avery said on his Instagram story on Tuesday. “Skating with the Orlando Solar Bears to see how the old legs feel. Life comes full circle, I’m going to be hungry on pucks…Let’s go.”

Per Solar Bears Team Release:

The Orlando Solar Bears have announced that forward Sean Avery has been signed to an ECHL Standard Player Contract. Avery will begin his tenure with the Solar Bears on the team’s reserve list.

Avery, 41, joins Orlando after last playing professional hockey during the 2011-12 season with the NHL’s New York Rangers and the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League.

A veteran of 10 seasons in the NHL with New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Detroit, Avery brings 580 games of major league experience, collecting 247 points (90g-157a) and 1,533 penalty minutes. He twice led the NHL in penalty minutes during the 2003-04 and 2005-06 campaigns.

Matthew Barnaby wants a piece of him

For those that follow former Rangers, most know that Matthew Barnaby has been challenging Avery to a charity boxing match for a while.

Upon hearing of Avery’s ECHL signing, he sent out a message to any team in the Solar Bears division to sign him. “I will sign with anyone in that division,” he tweeted. “You can play me as much as Torts did.”

Barnaby, 48, last played in the NHL in 2006/07.

if Avery signs in Orlando I will sign with anyone in that division…You can play me as much as Torts did

— Matthew Barnaby (@MattBarnaby3636) February 23, 2022

-Field Level Media contributed to this report

Rangers news – Sean Avery comments on Milbury “stepping down”

Yesterday, I wrote about Sean Avery not only saying he was right about Mike Milbury but also telling NBC to hire him. Late last night, Avery took to his Instagram again to continue his push.

“It’s official, Mike Milbury will not be returning to the NHL on NBC. Mike has left the bubble and the bubble just got a little bit lighter,” Sean kicked off his rant. “What I should do is go upstairs, put on my suit, and come down as Network Sean.”

Once again, Avery is pushing NBC Exec, Sam Flood to hire him.

Just in case you need to catch up on all the Mike Milbury, go check out the stories at The Daily Goal Horn.

Steve Valiquette breaks down draft capital

MSG Analyst did a great job of why having so many draft picks can bring in stars like Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox. According to Valiquette, New York’s 10 picks in this draft gives Jeff Gorton lots of options to make similar moves.

More NY Rangers news

Rumors out of Edmonton have them possibly looking to a reunion with Taylor Hall. They may need to make some cap related moves to make it happen. Is this the Rangers opportunity to land Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Here’s the full story as told both at The Daily Goal Horn and Forever Blueshirts as a follow up.

Sean Avery pitches for Mike Milbury’s job

Yesterday, Sean Avery took to his Instagram account to post a rant about Mike Milbury. “I’m not going to tell you I told you so, I’m not that type of guy, but I told you so,” Avery began. The bad boy turned shock-caster went on that he warned them about Milbury for two weeks.

From there Avery called on NBC to hire him because he’s a “ratings machine” and that’s what the people want. At one point in the rant, Avery told NBC he would do it “for free” and even wear a “peacock hat”. If you aren’t aware, NBC’s logo is a peacock.

NBC has yet to respond and there has been nothing further on this story. If you ask me, I doubt anything further comes of it.

Mike Milbury in hot water over comments

So what has Avery coming out so strongly? Well, in a recent broadcast when discussing playing in the bubble he made a disparaging comment towards women, calling them a distraction. This sent off a wave of backlash from key female journalists in the industry.

The NHL issued a statement on the matter and even contacted NBC Sports about the comment.

“The National Hockey League condemns the insensitive and insulting comment that Mike Milbury made during last night’s broadcast and we have communicated our feelings to NBC. The comment did not reflect the NHL’s values and commitment to making our game more inclusive and welcoming to all.”

Soon thereafter, an NBC Spokesperson said they have discussed that matter with him and released Milbury’s apology. “I sincerely apologize for making the comment,” he said. “I was trying to be irreverent and took it a step too far.” NBC has pulled Mike off TV.

For more on this, check out the full story at The Daily Goal Horn.

A black eye, a missing tooth, a slash to the head. In the past couple of weeks, Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux has collected his share of bloody battle wounds that have resulted in the 23-year-old being plastered all over social media. Lemieux has quickly become one of the Rangers’ most recognizable faces and a favorite amongst fans for his grit and tremendous work ethic all over the ice.

Lemieux seems to have that something special he brings to the team and the fans. While that ”thing” may not show up on the stat sheets or analytics charts, Lemieux has helped the Rangers pull through adversity time and time again. Digging into the Rangers’ archive of players, Lemieux holds some of the same intangibles of another Rangers fan favorite, best known for his antics both on and off the ice, beloved by Blueshirts fans, and despised by all others.

Standing at a mere 5’10”, Sean Avery was a pest, an agitator, the guy to get under the skin of his opponent and every fan rooting tirelessly against him. But for his home team crowd, he was the spark, the player to stir up the excitement, and not to mention, an offensive contributor with hockey talent. Overall, Avery spent six seasons as a member of the Blueshirts, and while he made headlines for his bad-boy reputation, he also made his mark on the stat sheet, recording 123 points in 264 NHL games with the Rangers.

Like Avery, Brendan Lemieux is a left-winger, who contributes both heart and hockey abilities for the Blueshirts. Although he thankfully does not possess the long list of off-ice issues that Avery is so well-known for, Lemieux, like Avery, is the first man on the ice to protect his teammates and throw fists and words at his opponent. Impressively, Lemieux has recorded 11 points in his first 25 games this season, but what is more impressive is that his production has come in big moments for the Rangers.

In a Wednesday Night Hockey matchup against the Metro Division’s first-place Washington Capitals, Lemieux contributed to a big Rangers win, assisting Pavel Buchnevich on the Rangers third goal of the game. But, what fans remember most about that game is the fight between Lemieux and Capitals forward Tom Wilson, with just under four minutes left to play in the third period. A frustrated Capitals team, down 4-1, retreated to taking big shots at Rangers players, but Lemieux was there to stifle their attempts, dropping the gloves with Wilson in a bloody fist-fight on the ice.

Later on that week, Lemieux came up even bigger, this time scoring two goals to lead the Rangers to a much-needed victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Coming off an embarrassing 4-1 loss against the Senators the night before, the Rangers quickly found themselves trailing 4-0 in front of a relentless Montreal crowd and Lemieux’s famous hockey father, Claude Lemieux, who was watching from the stands. What looked to be like another defeat for the Blueshirts turned into a comeback 6-5 win, with Lemieux scoring in the second period to cut the Canadiens’ lead to 4-3 and again in the third period on a short-handed goal to tie the game at five, before Jacob Trouba notched the sixth goal to complete the whirlwind comeback victory.

In his post-game interview, proudly wearing the Broadway Hat and his battle wounds, Lemieux told interviewers, “I’m very blessed to have a great opportunity to play here in New York.” Coach Quinn spoke highly about his young winger on MSG following the team’s win stating, “I love him as a player. He’s a great kid; he works hard; he’s everything you want in a hockey player.”

Since their big comeback win led by Lemieux in Montreal, the Rangers have gone 3-1-1 in their last five games and seem to be playing with a tougher edge all over the ice.

Avery was the spark, and now Lemieux seems to have ignited a fire in this young Rangers team with his ability to bring excitement to the ice, with both relentless toughness and offensive contributions. Lemieux is one of those “hate him or love him” personalities, and like Avery, New York Rangers fans have chosen the latter.

The New York Rangers have officially announced their draft party.

Click the link to join the party, but it appears they have already sold out.

Avery Bike Lane Madness Continues

Former Ranger and NHL bad boy, Sean Avery is in court due to an altercation with a car in Manhattan.

Avery, 38, was arraigned on a desk appearance ticket on one count of criminal mischief for allegedly hitting the driver’s side door with his scooter Feb. 23 at East Eighth Street and Broadway. “If I need to be the poster boy for defending the bike lanes, I will absolutely do that,” the notorious scrapper told The Post. “We need to be able to just bike in freedom.”

NYPOST

This has been going on for awhile now, as Avery has posted frequently on social media his arguments with people blocking NYC’s bike lanes. Avery has also filmed people urinating in doorways and calling them out. His instagram is basically a series of videos like the one below (NSFW).

He is due back in court on July 5th. If convicted, Avery faces a year in jail.