WASHINGTON — The Rangers are hoping they can become a better team after going through a tough period, going 1-3-1 in their last five games with a 22-13 loss.
As the Blueshirts prepare for this weekend's matinee home-and-home series against the Capitals, they are looking at their longest losing streak of the season as a positive and refraining from hitting the panic button.
Sitting in first place in the Metropolitan Division certainly helps, but head coach Peter Laviolette and his team believe this hardship is not only something to learn from, but also one to overcome as the club pursues a Stanley Cup. I believe that this is a necessary hardship.
“I think it's always good for a team to face adversity,” Laviolette said after the Rangers lost 5-2 to the Blues, their 14th loss of the season. “Mika [Zibanejad] You go out and a lot of things happen. Things don't always go your way. I don't think it's a bad thing for a team to go through that and have to fight to figure it out, have to work to get things back on track.
“There are positive things. There are definitely a lot of positive things. [Thursday night] From our friends. They fought all night to win. There's still work to be done, a little bit of adversity in the middle of the year, but that's not the worst of it. ”
The long-term absences of Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko are finally starting to catch up with the Rangers, with Johnny Brodzinski and Jake Lecicin now both called up to the AHL.
Tyler Pitlick has also suffered a lower-body injury week-to-week, which has forced the club into a deep pool.
The Rangers were at full strength early this season, and their defense was solid.
They were a threat in the neutral zone, turning strong defense into offense and causing turnovers in every area of the ice.
But over the past month or so, the Rangers have struggled to defend opponents' transition games.
Their neutral zone play isn't as effective as it once was, and it's opponents who are forcing the Rangers to turn the puck over and pay for it.
Kakko, in particular, is one of the forwards with the most defensive responsibility on the team.
His absence is especially felt in the bottom six.
“I think we gave up a little bit too much quality,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said Thursday night. “We have a lot of good chances, [Chris Kreider] He hit two posts on the power play. There were many moments when he showed great expressions, [Alexis Lafreniere’s] early. It's not working for us so far. Some of them will be there for them.
“Nobody feels bad about us. It's hockey, things like that happen. You go through it all season. It's been a long year, so when you go through something like this, it's hard for your teammates, the group, I think it gives you a little idea of what kind of team we are.
“Not that it's a good thing, but we want to deal with adversity and understand who we are and how to overcome it.”
Injuries are a part of every team's season.
What matters is whether the team can survive until reinforcements arrive.
This is when a team's belief comes into play, and the Rangers certainly have it.
Coach Vincent Trocheck said his confidence in the Rangers' ability to get back on track is “very high.” “I know what this team is capable of. We've seen it, we've proven game in and game out what we're capable of. This is something we have to overcome. It was just an unavoidable adversity and I hope I can look back and say it was a positive.”
