Peter Laviolette didn’t stay silent after the New York Rangers were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Speaking candidly following the disappointing news, the head coach acknowledged that the team let too many opportunities slip away—both for themselves and for the fans who had hoped for a postseason run.
“It’s disappointing for everybody. It certainly wasn’t anybody’s plan coming into the year, especially coming off of last year. Yet here we are. We had opportunities in the last 20 games to make our own noise and make our own way and we didn’t do that. It’s on us. We needed to be better.”
Laviolette pointed to the Rangers’ inability to take advantage of key moments late in the season—especially at home—as a major factor in their collapse. In April, the Rangers managed just one win at home and one on the road.
Laviolette continues: “The disappointment is real”
Coming off a road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes—one of the final three games of their NHL regular season—Laviolette admitted there was a heavy sense of disappointment throughout the locker room.
“I think there’s always expectation here. I think every year this team has gone in expecting to be successful, expecting to win a Stanley Cup. The disappointment is real. From everybody’s standpoint. Even tonight, we didn’t do the right things well enough to be successful. We give up 3 goals point blank in front of our net. Can’t happen.”
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A capable team that fell short
While Laviolette believes the team had the talent to make a playoff push, their failure to execute down the stretch told the story. The Rangers finished March with a mediocre 6-6-3 record (15 points), with several home losses that hinted at a team struggling to find consistency at the worst possible time.
“It’s been pretty consistent all year, we just haven’t played well enough to win hockey games. That’s what makes it frustrating and disappointing. I believe that this team is good enough to win hockey games, good enough to play in the playoffs, but we’re not in it. That’s the reality of it. We didn’t do the right things. We didn’t do them enough.”