By Allan Kreda
The New York Rangers have an NHL-best 11 highway wins, but their play at residence has been a multitude by comparability.
Coming into Saturday’s sport in opposition to Tampa following spectacular highway wins over Carolina and Boston — and a three-game profitable streak total — the Rangers reverted to residence type because the surging Lightning beat New York 4-1. The loss dropped New York’s document at Madison Sq. Backyard to 2-8-1.
The Rangers have scored simply three objectives complete in these eight regulation defeats.
“We didn’t have our best,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan mentioned after the Lightning prolonged their profitable streak to seven. “I’m stating the obvious.”
The Rangers haven’t had their greatest within the overwhelming majority of their residence contests to this point. That’s a perplexing change for a crew that was dominant at MSG simply two seasons in the past after they had been 30-11-0 and completed with a league-best 114 factors.
New York began this season with a 3-0 residence defeat to Sullivan’s former crew, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then they had been shut out by Washington and Edmonton earlier than managing a objective in a 3-1 loss to Minnesota on Oct. 20.
After shedding 6-5 in time beyond regulation to San Jose, they had been held scoreless by Carolina and the Islanders earlier than lastly profitable a house sport on their eighth attempt, 6-3 over lowly Nashville on Nov. 10. They misplaced 2-1 to Detroit on Nov. 16, then edged St. Louis 3-2 final Monday.
5 shutout losses of their first seven residence video games tied a document set by the now-defunct 1928-29 Pittsburgh Pirates.
New York’s offensive futility reached new ranges in opposition to the Lightning because the Rangers had been outshot 11-2 within the first interval and 16-7 within the second.
“They were more willful than we were today. They were ready to go into every battle,’’ Rangers captain J.T. Miller said. “At no point in that game were we deserving of winning.”
Miller rejoined the Rangers in a much-touted commerce with Vancouver on Jan. 31 and was named captain earlier than this season. Miller changed former captain Jacob Trouba, who was shipped to Anaheim virtually a 12 months in the past throughout a marketing campaign that noticed the Rangers miss the playoffs.
Miller scored New York’s lone objective on Saturday, however his frustration after residence defeats has been palpable.
“We did it to ourselves,’’ he said. “There was no urgency today. It’s unacceptable.”
Assistant captain Vincent Trocheck mentioned optimistic focus is the one strategy to take because the season progresses.
“This game is majority mental. It’s up to you to fight off the negativity,’’ he said. “It’s just a matter of us playing the right way.”
The Rangers are off Sunday earlier than training Monday after which going through the potent Dallas Stars at residence on Tuesday. Subsequent weekend received’t get simpler with the league-leading Colorado Avalanche visiting Saturday, adopted by Vegas on Sunday.
New York performs seven of its subsequent 10 video games at residence as they search to match their highway prowess on residence ice.
“It’s a nearly specializing in one sport at a time,’’ Trocheck mentioned.
The Rangers heard boos late in Saturday’s loss and that was not misplaced on Mika Zibanejad, the crew’s most tenured participant.
“I understand the reaction from our fans,” he mentioned. ”We’re extra annoyed than they’re.”
Sullivan added that prime defenseman Adam Fox can be evaluated after absorbing a tough hit throughout Saturday’s loss. Fox assisted on Miller’s objective and is tied for the crew lead in factors with 26.
