The New York Rangers dropped consecutive games during a critical homestand, which could hinder their playoff hopes amid a lackluster NHL season. Despite the recent trades, the Blueshirts haven’t been able to produce consistent performances, and star Adam Fox couldn’t hold back his thoughts about the team moving on from veteran Ryan Lindgren.
The Rangers are one point behind the wildcard teams in the Eastern Conference, though they have played two more games than both the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens.
New York is coming off arguably their worst game of the season, which is saying something. After a 2-1 defeat to the Calgary Flames at Madison Square Garden, patience is running extremely short inside the locker room in The Big Apple.
Fox and the rest of the group have seen many long-time teammates leave the organization, and it seems it was all in vain, judging by the team’s attitude and recent form. On that note, the star defenseman voiced a sincere statement about Lindgren’s trade.
“It was obviously tough. Someone I played with pretty much my whole NHL career,” Fox said about Lindgren’s trade, per The Athletic writer Peter Baugh. “Kind of weird timing — I was out — so I’m kind of adjusting to it now. Definitely miss having him around the room.”
Disastrous showing
The final scoreboard may not reflect it, but the Rangers’ 2-1 loss to the Flames was one of the most disheartening performances Blueshirts fans in New York City have witnessed this season.
“[The compete] was not there. There was nothing there,” Peter Laviolette admitted, via The New York Post. “They were faster than us, they got to the ice quicker than us, they were more ready. That’s the way the game played out.”
No sense of urgency whatsoever. The Rangers looked like a team playing in an NHL preseason game rather than what they actually are—or intend to be—a Stanley Cup Playoff contender. At the moment, the Blueshirts are merely hanging around in the postseason bubble, but that bubble could burst at any moment.
Playoff hockey
The Rangers’ outing against the Flames was a complete letdown. For a team aspiring to make the playoffs, they sure looked like a lottery draft side, instead. Laviolette didn’t hide his frustration with the team’s effort, which he deemed inexcusable.
“It’s concerning for any time of year when you don’t play a game that you’re proud of,” head coach Laviolette added. “It was not a good showing.”