The New York Rangers face mounting frustrations as they struggle to regain control after a disheartening loss to the Kings at home
New York: This nightmare just doesn’t seem to end for the New York Rangers. On Saturday, they took a beating at Madison Square Garden, losing 5-1 to the Los Angeles Kings.
From the get-go, the Rangers looked completely lost. All five goals from the Kings came from defensive blunders that left Igor Shesterkin hanging out to dry.
Things hit a low point in the second period when the Rangers gave up three goals in just over two minutes. That’s when coach Peter Laviolette decided to pull Shesterkin for Jonathan Quick.
The Rangers were lifeless. It’s one thing to get blown out, but it’s worse when there’s no urgency or intensity. That’s exactly what happened.
“It’s frustrating,” Laviolette said. “To start a game like that in our building after playing some of the games we have in our building, it’s bad.”
So, what’s the problem? Is it a lack of effort or focus? The Rangers are running out of excuses and have no clear answers for their struggles.
“It goes all around,” Laviolette said when asked about where the blame lies. He was also questioned about his players losing focus, but he couldn’t provide an answer.
“I can’t answer that,” he admitted. There’s just no fight in the Rangers, and the players know it. Their struggles on the ice, combined with outside noise, are really taking a toll.
“At times yes, but it needs to be better,” Vincent Trocheck said about the team’s fight. “We are letting a lot of things get to us, and we need to focus on what we’re doing.”
After the game, it took a while for the locker room to open up. The players were likely discussing things, but Trocheck kept those conversations private.
“What we say in here stays in here,” he said. “You need to perform on the ice and give it your all every shift. Right now, I feel like we’re not doing that.”
The Rangers are spiraling out of control, and if they don’t fix things soon, their season could really get away from them.