SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s hard to believe that just six months ago the Rangers were battling the Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals.
There was hardly any competition at the time, despite the facade of a 2-1 lead in the Rangers series.
And even their most valiant effort in weeks still resulted in a 5-3 loss to the Blueshirts with an empty net on Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena.
President and CEO Chris Drury at least reversed it last summer.
The Panthers celebrate a goal during their win against the Rangers on December 30. AP Filip Chytil tries to move the puck during the Rangers’ loss to the Panthers on Dec. 30. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
And now here the Rangers are, in last place in the Metropolitan Division, losers of four straight and 15 of 19, with the follow-up season to a Presidents’ Trophy-winning season on the brink of destruction.
It wasn’t enough then, and it’s still not enough now.
In the 182 days since they last competed in Sunrise, the Rangers have risen from finalists in the Eastern Conference to 26th in the NHL.
Or the laughing stock of the competition. Under the circumstances they are one and the same.
“We did enough to win the game, we did enough to lose the game,” head coach Peter Laviolette said after his team fell to 16-19-1 before the new year. “It’s frustrating because you feel like you’re doing more good than bad. Ultimately, it’s not on the scoreboard. That’s the business, it’s winning. It’s not good enough.”
Although the Rangers came back in the second period with two quick goals from Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren, they found themselves in a multi-goal hole at first, having conceded two within 2 for the seventh time in their last 18 years :17. games.
Not to mention that it was also the eleventh time they allowed their opponent to score twice in the space of four hours.
The Panthers are still the blueprint for a tough team to play against. Despite being outscored 13–9 in the middle frame, it took Florida all of 38 seconds to respond to the Rangers’ pressure and regain the lead.
Jesper Boqvist scores for the Panthers during their win against the Rangers on December 30. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con Chris Kreider celebrates his goal during the Rangers’ loss to the Panthers on December 30. NHLI via Getty Images
A keep-in on the Panthers’ blue line led to some chaos around the Rangers net before Jesper Boqvist cleared a loose puck and buried it in a wide open net for the 3-2 lead.
The Rangers’ power play went on an 0-for-22 skid over the last eight games after a Chris Kreider goal to tie the score at three just over five minutes into the final frame.
However, Boqvist notched his second of the match after a rough sequence around the net later in the period to take a 4-3 lead at 11:38.
Failing to capitalize on a gift of a power play with 2:50 left in regulation, when Matthew Tkachuk took a seat in the penalty box due to a postponement of the game, the Rangers were done after Aleksander Barkov had an empty-net goal scored.
The Panthers avoided a third straight loss and jumped over the Maple Leafs to take sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.
“I feel like we’ve come out of this break and want to use it as a reset,” Adam Fox said. “The last game it was really special teams that killed us. Special teams were clearly much better today. It feels a bit like we’re repeating the same things at this point. At some point it has to be a victory. It’s not just, ‘Yeah, did better five-on-five.’ They have to be victories.”
“It’s extremely frustrating. If we keep playing games like that, we will get victories. I think that’s really all.”
Jesper Boqvist scored two goals for the Panthers in their win against the Rangers on December 30. NHLI via Getty Images
There’s no doubt the Rangers’ efforts have been better. Monday night was probably one of their best in the last month and a half.
Although the gauntlet of a schedule they faced was brutal.
Furthermore, the team’s repeated failure to measure up to the top clubs they have faced is only further confirmation that the way they are currently constructed is simply not enough.
The Rangers easily managed to beat the puck.
There is zero resistance in the neutral zone.
Early periods have been like “Groundhog Day” for the Rangers lately: same story, different day.
Several Rangers tried to clear the puck before Mika Zibanejad’s attempt went straight to the stick of Gustav Forsling, whose shot was tipped in by Eetu Luostarinen for the 1-0 lead just over three minutes into the game.
Just 2:15 later, the Rangers found themselves boxed in their zone before Mackie Samoskevich got a stick on Dmitry Kulikov’s shot.
Laviolette challenged due to goalkeeper interference, but the goal ultimately stood.
Zibanejad’s minus-22 rating on the season is officially the third-worst in the NHL.
“We have to build on the game,” Chytil said. “But clean up the things that cost us the game. Four points have been lost on this trip, so it’s not that positive. We have another day tomorrow and we have a match in three days, so we have to concentrate on that now.”