When it rains, it pours. The New York Rangers are spiraling out of control, and they have now lost three games in a row, as well as 11 of their last 14 games. Head coach Peter Laviolette is enduring an exhausting and fruitless search for better results, but his efforts so far appear to be in vain.
After the recent drama with Kaapo Kakko, Laviolette and the Rangers were desperate for a win over the NHL’s bottom-feeders, the Nashville Predators. However, what starts poorly often ends poorly, and New York fell to Nashville. Not only did the Rangers lose, they were shutout for the first time on the season.
Frustration is mounting in New York City, Laviolette’s job is at stake though he tries to divert his attention away and focus on righting the ship. Following the 2-0 loss to the Preds, Laviolette sent his teammates an honest message.
“What I didn’t like was the third period,” Laviolette told Mollie Walker of The New York Post. “We came out, I thought that they had the edge on us. We needed more in the third when you’re down 1-0, that’s when you have to find our way out of something and that’s where we’re not getting it done right now. It’s just frustrating right now, for everybody.”
Frustration within the locker room
The embarrassing performances are taking a toll on the Rangers’ morale. What began as a typical slump has now evolved into a deeply concerning issue for the organization. Management, coaching, and players alike are all accountable for this rough patch, yet no solution seems to be forthcoming.
“It shouldn’t be hard to keep our focus right now. We should be driven to get out of this,” Rangers forward Chris Lindgren stated.”We should be doing whatever it takes every single game to get out of this. Battling like hell to get out of it. You saw that tonight, I thought we battled, but it’s just not going our way right now. It’s our job to just keep getting back to work and doing what we can.”
The Rangers will vye to snap their losing streak when they visit the Dallas Stars on December 20.