The sun came up on the Rangers on Friday, for the world did not end with their 6-1 loss to the Sabres at the Garden the previous night. But it was not quite business as had become usual when the club reconvened at the World’s Most Famous Training Facility.
“There was not a crazy difference in practice when we worked on things missing from our game, but the meeting was not the same,” Artemi Panarin told The Post. “Usually after the wins, it is mostly positive, but today, it was zero positive, which makes sense.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to be reminded about the small things that starts with the battles. Everyone has to win the battle. You can have a loss, but not like that. We had zero chance, and we didn’t even try to, so that’s a sad thing.”
Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (R) tries to control the puck in front of Buffalo Sabres defenseman Dennis Gilbert (L) and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton (R) in the third period of play at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA, Thursday, November 07, 2024.
The Rangers have been lacking structure most of the season. The 8-3-1 record they take into Saturday’s match against the Red Wings is not an optical illusion, for the ability to win games is a skill. But the Blueshirts have essentially been winning on spectacular goaltending and muscle memory.
That is not a formula for sustained success. If the Rangers were fooling themselves, Thursday night was no joke. It was a pile-up that demands attention.
“I do think that everyone has bad games. The difference is how you react. Do you fix it, or do you keep going with a smile?” said Panarin, as much of a passenger against Buffalo as any of his teammates. “I mean, you have to stay positive, for sure, but you have to go back to being disciplined, as well.
“You can make a game like this into a positive, good thing that can help you. It’s a long season, and you can’t be negative all the time, but this was kind of like a real slap.”
There are issues in the defensive zone. The Rangers do not get out cleanly enough. Their coverage seems to break down quickly with players either attempting to cover up for a teammate’s mistake or being in no-man’s land after a failed clear. That certainly needs dramatic improvement.
But there’s also the issue at the other end that compounds itself.
Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson (C) scores past New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick (C-L) in the third period of play at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA, Thursday, November 07, 2024.
When Peter Laviolette went behind the bench last season, he talked about a heavy forecheck and a puck-pressure game. When Gerard Gallant was hired in 2021-22, he talked about puck pressure all over the ice. When David Quinn left BU for the Rangers job in 2018-19, he talked about forecheck and puck pressure.
Guess what? The Rangers are not a puck-possession team.
New York Rangers right wing Kaapo Kakko (R) and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram fight for the puck in the first period at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA, Thursday, November 07, 2024.
Guess what? The Rangers do not have a heavy, consistent or effective forecheck.
There are exceptions, of course. Will Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko, Vincent Trocheck, fourth-liners Adam Edstrom, Sam Carrick, Jimmy Vesey come to mind, but the team has primarily been a one-and-done rush team thriving on skill. That’s not just this year; that’s since the core was formed in 2020. My goodness, that’s since 10 years ago when Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard eschewed north-south scoring opportunities to try to make the perfect east-west play. (There’s verbiage from previous administrations.) But it has become more extreme the last couple of weeks.
I asked Laviolette if the team has had the forecheck pressure that is required. The answer: “No.”
“No, and we’re out of place at times, which, again, can lead to bad things coming the other way,” he said. “And so those are the things we talk about.
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (L) and his teammates react after he gave up five goals to the Buffalo Sabres.
“Sometimes, just getting there and putting [the puck] into an area where you can get it back, all of those things have been ongoing discussions for a little bit. Putting it into a place we can get it back, putting more numbers around it, and having a little more snarl when we arrive there.”
There has been a lull in the action. The Rangers are 3-3 in their last six games and have been outscored, 14-8, at five-on-five. The power play is stagnant, 3-for-17 over the last half-dozen games. Yet there have been no personnel changes to PP1.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (C) and his teammates celebrates his goal in back of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren in the first period at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA, Thursday, November 07, 2024.
An 8-3-1 record and the league’s ninth-best winning percentage at .708 buy some patience. But there must be a response to Thursday and there must be recognition that this not only has not been good enough, but it will not be remotely good enough in the playoffs.
You’ve heard it all before and so have they.
“The silver lining in this is that we are 8-3-1 while understanding that we have a lot of room for improvement,” Vincent Trocheck told The Post. “If we can figure this out, we’re in a great spot to take off.”
