The New York Rangers didn’t get what they wished for this Christmas. Returning from the NHL’s three-day break, the Blueshirts suffered yet another embarrassing loss, with frustration reaching an all-season high in the locker room. Following the 6-2 defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning, defenseman K’Andre Miller didn’t mince words towards coach Peter Laviolette and his teammates.
The Rangers’ freefall reaches new depths with each passing night. Words may be fleeting, but actions leave a lasting impression. New York’s leaders continue to deliver strong messages, yet their performances fail to match their statements.
Laviolette knows the NHL season is on the line with every deflating loss, however, the Rangers continue to put on lackluster outings and their downward spiral seems never ending. New York is entering a pivotal seven-game stretch, and the hope in the Big Apple is that their first showing is not a sign of what’s to come.
Tampa Bay dismantled Laviolette’s side and handed them a whooping 6-2 loss, the eighth defeat in the last ten games for the Rangers. New York cannot climb out of their hole, though they’ve tried plenty of alternatives (trades, healthy scratches, line shuffles, you name it), but they got nothing to show for it. K’Andre Miller has had enough and issued a blunt statement to everybody in the locker room.
Head coach Peter Laviolette of the New York Rangers speaks with the media at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“That’s something this group maybe has lost a little bit. That pushback,” Miller stated after the game, via Mollie Walker of The New York Post. “We’ve all been in games where we’re losing. I don’t think just because we’re losing in a game, doesn’t mean we’ve lost the game. I liked what we did overall. I think it’s just we can bring a little bit more.”
Miller and Rangers can’t keep pregame promise
Going into the game against the Lightning, everybody in the Rangers organization knew they had to turn the page on their horrible first half of the NHL season. Miller issued a big statement prior to puckdrop, one that showed much contrast with the postgame frustration.
“I think this could really be the turn to our season,” Miller said ahead of the game against Tampa Bay. “Everybody’s rested. Everybody’s ready to go. Kind of a new mindset.”
The Rangers are set to close out 2024 in a starkly different fashion from how the year began. After winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season, New York now finds itself in last place in the Metropolitan Division.
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The Blueshirts will have one final chance to shift momentum before the ball drops in Times Square, as they take on the Florida Panthers in Sunrise on Dec. 30.
