The mood in the New York Rangers’ locker room was heavy with disappointment following their 5-0 defeat to the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Monday. The frustration was visible on the faces of every player.
“We’ve got to show more heart,” forward Vincent Trocheck said. “Individually, everyone needs to take a good look at themselves in the mirror and dig deeper. On multiple goals we gave up against New Jersey, we left our goalie out to dry. We’ve got to be better.”
Trocheck, who plays center on the top line with Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere, attempted to spark his team early in the game by dropping the gloves with Devils forward Paul Cotter at 3:55.
However, the fight seemed to fire up the Devils, and just 34 seconds later, Jack Hughes scored the game’s opening goal at 4:29.
“You’re never preplanning it, but when you’re in a hole like that, you’re just trying to get the guys going,” Trocheck explained. “We have to go out and do it ourselves. You can talk all you want, but we can’t keep looking around waiting for someone else. We have to dig deeper.”
When asked if he felt the team lacked heart, head coach Peter Laviolette expressed dissatisfaction with how the game ended. The Rangers were outshot 29-12 and went 0-for-4 on the power play, managing only three shots on goal.
“I don’t like the way we finished the game today,” Laviolette said. “I agree with Trocheck. The purpose with which we play needs to be better.
We need more from everyone. In the second period, we held them in check 5-on-5, but we didn’t generate enough ourselves, and that’s been an issue lately. Defensively, we’ve tightened up, but offensively, we’re not getting the looks we need to succeed.”
The Rangers (16-17-1) head into the holiday break having lost 13 of their last 17 games, all in regulation, after starting the season with a 12-4-1 record. They have fallen out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. During this stretch, they’ve ranked last in the NHL in goals per game (2.06), scoring two or fewer goals in 11 of those 17 games.
“The disconnect could be many things, but I feel, like I’ve said before, there’s extra weight on us,” said Panarin.
“Everyone is trying too hard, maybe not relaxed enough. I can promise everyone on the team wants to win and works hard, but when confidence is lacking, everything feels harder than it really is.”
Panarin, who had one shot on goal and two giveaways in 19:06 of ice time on Monday, is hopeful that the upcoming break will provide a reset. The Rangers won’t play again until Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Is this the worst I’ve felt since I’ve been here? I think so, yeah, but we have to use the next few days to rest, reload, and then bring our best hockey,” Panarin said.
The Rangers made several roster moves leading up to the game, trading defenseman Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks on December 6 and forward Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken 12 days later. On Monday, Laviolette made the decision to scratch veteran Chris Kreider in favor of Jonny Brodzinski in an attempt to spark a positive response.
Kreider, who has 12 points (11 goals, 1 assist) in 30 games this season but has only one goal in his last nine games, is the longest-tenured player on the team (13 seasons).
“Anytime you talk to a player about not being in the lineup, it’s never an easy conversation,” Laviolette said. “At the end of the day, we’re not playing the brand of hockey we need to play to be successful, and he’s a guy we rely on to help deliver that. These conversations aren’t easy, but it was the decision I made.”
Last season, the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy for having the best record in the NHL (55-23-4) and reached the Eastern Conference Final, where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in six games.
“We’re not where we want to be, mentally, and we’re not where we want to be record-wise,” Laviolette said. “We’re not where we want to be anywhere, so this is not acceptable. We’re here to win hockey games, and right now, we’re not doing that.”
