The Rangers had been oddly optimistic after their unsettling 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks on Saturday evening, which is probably going all they might do to deal with their present state.
Possibly it was a coping mechanism. Or possibly it was a method of salvaging what’s left of their confidence. Both method, the Rangers are greedy at straws to justify the assumption that their season is much from over and that they're nonetheless able to rewriting the narrative.
With 56 video games left within the common season, it’s definitely attainable, nevertheless it’s going to take a complete group turnaround for the Rangers — presently 11-10-5 and in fifth place within the Metropolitan Division heading into Sunday — to catch up within the standings.
The Rangers, who're 14 factors behind the division-leading Devils and out of a playoff spot, are slipping additional right into a puzzling storyline. The group that took the NHL by storm final season, once they completed second within the Metro and made all of it the way in which to the convention last, is immediately falling from grace in an inexplicable style.
Maybe that’s why head coach Gerard Gallant and Chris Kreider each wished to spotlight the great Saturday evening.
“I believed we performed quicker and performed more durable, however similar outcome,” Gallant stated after the Rangers misplaced for the fifth time in six video games and had been defeated by the last-place Blackhawks after shedding to the last-place Senators twice in three days. “So we’ve bought to make some changes, however we undoubtedly performed more durable than we did the opposite evening.”
Added Kreider: “It’s onerous to lose a recreation like that and say that we’re doing a little issues properly, however we’re definitely doing issues higher than we now have been. You undergo powerful stretches over the course of a season. Clearly, we’re going by means of a really powerful stretch proper now. So, it’s as much as us to flip the narrative and look again on this in a month or two and say that this was a great factor for us and that we began stringing collectively wins. Now, it’s the subsequent recreation.”
Possibly there's such a factor as a playoff hangover. The emotional drop-off from competing final season in significant video games evening after evening to beginning over and being again at sq. one might impact a group’s psyche.
The Rangers would possibly have the ability to say that if that they had made it to the Stanley Cup Ultimate, Artemi Panarin advised The Put up when introduced with the notion, however they didn’t.
Earlier than the Rangers took the ice towards Chicago, Gallant known as for his group to play with extra urgency and vitality, including that he hadn’t seen that recently. However such play hasn’t been there for the reason that first recreation of the season, through which the Rangers appeared primed to choose up proper the place they left off final season, as they handily defeated the Lightning, 3-1.
Since then, nevertheless, the fervour and coronary heart that when exuded from their play seemingly has vanished. It has been changed with frustration and a joyless model that makes each recreation really feel like a chore. Ringing pucks off the publish a number of instances an evening is just inflicting the Rangers to sink additional into themselves as they seek for solutions.
Rangers captain Jacob Trouba took a a lot completely different route than all people else when reflecting on the sport Saturday evening. Possibly the remainder of the membership ought to comply with swimsuit.
“It’s a outcomes league,” Trouba stated. “It is advisable win hockey video games. It’s an emotional recreation. You’ve bought to play with some emotion, some vitality. It’s not simply going to occur. You’ve bought to go make it occur and can it to occur. I believe we might use somewhat bit extra of that.”
The Rangers despatched heart Jonny Brodzinski again to AHL Hartford on Sunday.
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