The Rangers Have Hit Rock Bottom

Last week was a brutal one for the New York Rangers.

They lost all three games they played to the Utah Mammoth, Buffalo Sabres, and Boston Bruins, respectively, they lost two of their best players in goaltender Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox to injuries, and they were completely embarrassed by the Bruins in Boston on Saturday afternoon by a score of 10-2. In fact, they were outscored 18-6 in the three losses.

As such, it is tough to predict what kind of team the Blueshirts will be this week when they take on the Seattle Kraken (Monday night, January 12, at Madison Square Garden), Ottawa Senators (Wednesday night, January 14, at Madison Square Garden), and Philadelphia Flyers (Saturday afternoon, January 17 at the XFinity Mobile Arena). Based on the way the club played in their last three games and the way they got shelled on Saturday afternoon, it is easy to see that this team is in a heap of trouble.

There are several reasons why the Rangers are where they are in the standings (seventh in the Metropolitan Division, 14th in the Eastern Conference, and 24th in the league with a record of 20-20-6 for 46 points) and why this past week sunk them. For starters, they lost two of their best players to injuries.

Shesterkin, 30, was placed on IR on Tuesday, January 6, after Mammoth forward JJ Peterka crashed into Shesterkin late in the first period in the team's 3-2 overtime loss on Monday night, January 5. While the Rangers were lucky that they avoided the worst case scenario, having Shesterkin miss a few weeks negatively impacts the team because he is one of the best goalies in the league, and he is someone who the team constantly relies on to steal and win hockey games.

Backup goaltender Jonathan Quick has not looked good in his first two full games since replacing Shesterkin as the team's starting goaltender. In his team's losses to the Sabres and Bruins, he allowed 10 goals on 40 shots, including a crushing goal that he should have stopped against the Sabres that gave them a 4-2 lead during the Rangers' four minute power play.

There is no doubt that Quick, 39, has been a great backup goaltender for the Rangers in his two plus seasons with the club. With that said, being pushed into the starter's role is something that is proving to be difficult for him with his age and his aggressive style of play between the pipes.

Adam Fox was also injured in his team's loss to the Mammoth. This injury also hurts the club in a big way because when he is healthy, Fox is someone who can produce, quarterback the team's power play, make quick and accurate passes up the ice, and help move the offense in the right direction.

Another reason why this team is sinking is because of leadership. After his team's thumping at the hands of the Bruins on Saturday afternoon, J.T. Miller struggled to find the words to describe how he and his fellow teammates played, something that he has done several times this season.

That's as bad as it gets so, I don't want, like, I don't know. The only thing that really matters now is this should sting, like this should suck, like this should make you want to puke. And then respond tomorrow and the next day.

Miller, 32, also told reporters that he needs to be a better leader.

That’s a game where you’re looking for leadership and I got to be better. It’s just unacceptable. Your leaders shouldn’t let games – and I’m talking about myself – get like that. Crowd should never be chanting ‘we want 10.’ Look within. Not try to point fingers and make excuses. It starts with myself and leadership to prevent games like that when you don’t have your best. To not get out of control and hang your goalies out to dry. There’s no point in bitching now. We’re going to let it soak and let it feel terrible inside of us. The only thing that matters is responding on Monday.

Again, these are things that Miller has said before regarding his leadership and the fact that he needs to be better. This is not something he should be saying in the second half of the season.

This team also continues to struggle on home ice. They are currently (As of Monday, January 12) 5-11-4 at Madison Square Garden and every game at home seems like one that the Rangers do not want to play in.

It is clear that they grip their sticks extra tight when playing in front of their fans. They often look to try and impress their fans by trying to make the perfect play instead of doing the simple things such as making smart passes and getting pucks to the net.

Lastly, it is clear that this team cannot put the puck in the net with any kind of regularity. They are currently 26th in the league in goals scored as they have scored 118 goals in 46 games, which means they are averaging just over two goals per game (2.57).

The Rangers have been shutout a league-leading eight times this season. Believe it or not, six of those shutouts have come at MSG, which explains why maybe the team gets extra nervous when it comes to playing in front of their fans.

With the injuries to Shesterkin and Fox, the lack of leadership from Miller, the poor play on home ice, and the inability to put the puck in the net, there currently is not much to like when it comes to this team. Unfortunately for both the team and their fans, it appears that nothing is going to happen anytime soon to help lift them up from the bottom.