The Rangers have been given a much-needed break with two days off on Sunday and Monday. They will follow this with two days of practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. Finally, they will be evaluated fairly when they take the ice against the Canadiens on Thursday night with a full lineup for the first time since their loss in Washington on Feb. 25.
The noise from the trade deadline has come and gone, and the Rangers can now focus on their regularly scheduled program.
The Rangers have been skating shorthanded for four games or benching players for roster-management reasons, going 1-2-1 against the Kings, Flyers, Senators, and Bruins. They are underperforming lately, having lost six of their last eight games, and slipped to just a seven-point cushion on the wild-card Islanders in the Metropolitan Division standings. However, the club is still exuding confidence, and there is no doom or gloom in the locker room.
The Rangers need to tighten up defensively, integrate the new faces into their five-on-five game and power play, and start working toward unlocking the lineup’s full potential to ensure they achieve optimal seeding in the playoffs. Their recent play hasn’t necessarily been bad, but it’s not great either.
Mika Zibanejad said that taking positives away from the 4-2 loss to the NHL-leading Bruins Saturday afternoon in Boston is a fine balance that the team has to find. He acknowledged that the Bruins are good everywhere, but especially at home. However, he said the Rangers did a good job of pushing back and not just sitting back and waiting for things to happen. They did a lot of good things and hoped to build on and add to them.
The Rangers have been facing distractions for almost a month now, creating even loftier expectations than the organization was already facing at the start of the season. This could lead to a longer adjustment period than the Rangers desire, but it could also result in a drop-off in the standings. With 19 games left in the regular season, the schedule is nearing crunch time, and the Rangers need to adapt accordingly.
K’Andre Miller will be back Thursday from his three-game suspension, and Ryan Lindgren could be nearing a return from his upper-body injury. The Rangers have no doubt missed two of their top defensemen. Tyler Motte’s timeline is unclear due to an apparent head injury, but the Rangers will be able to recall a forward to play at full strength in the future. The Rangers will have to take it from there as all pieces will be in place soon enough.
»Rangers goes on two-day break«
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