Peter Laviolette and the New York Rangers endured their second blowout loss of December, this time a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings at home. The Rangers had returned from a win in Buffalo, but things went awry in their fifth home game of the month.
The Rangers’ head coach began his post-game press conference by admitting that the first period was poor. They allowed two goals in that opening frame, and for Laviolette, it needed to be better. “The first period needed to be a whole lot better than what it was, with regard to our speed, execution, attitude… it needed to be a lot better,” he said.
The start of the game against the Kings was particularly frustrating for Laviolette. “It’s frustrating, to start a game like that in our building after playing some of the games we have in our building, it’s bad,” he added. It’s worth noting that the Rangers have won just one of their five home games in December, with losses to New Jersey (5-1), Seattle (7-5), and Chicago (2-1).
In what seemed like a message to his team, Laviolette remarked, “We can’t play one game like that. We’ve got to string together 10 games like that. The consistency and what we’re doing isn’t good, it’s frustrating and disappointing.” The lone goal for the Rangers came from Filip Chytil in the second period.
Laviolette Calls for Better Defense
During the game against the Kings, the Rangers struggled to check their opponents. Laviolette addressed the issue, saying, “We need to knock people down.” He also emphasized, “We’ve got enough guys in here, we should be able to defend in an area, and it wasn’t a priority; it needs to be a priority.”
Where Does the Blame Fall?
That was one of the final questions Laviolette had to answer. When a reporter reminded him of the absence of energy players in the lineup, he responded, “That goes right around. We can’t start like that. You’re not going to win games like that.” Laviolette also referenced the strong start the Rangers had in their win over Buffalo, expecting a similar performance upon returning home.
