Hartnett: Sluggish Rangers Need To Respond Quickly To AV's Challenge

By Sean Hartnett
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Irritated by the Rangers' subpar execution and lack of effort, head coach Alain Vigneault has called on his men to stamp out the recurrent deficiencies in their game.

Mired in a three-game losing skid, the Rangers will have a chance to make amends when they host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.

"For whatever reason, our puck management from our end to the other end was having some difficulties," Vigneault said following Saturday's 3-0 home defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers. "At the end of the day, right now we all need to man up here. I need to get this group to play better and I am very confident that this group knows the right way to play. I am very confident that we have the right leadership in that dressing room. I am very confident that they know we can execute and play a lot better than we are right now, and we are going to have an opportunity to show that on Monday."

Saturday's meek showing was quite possibly the worst performance of the Rangers' young season. It was worse than the 5-1 trashing they took from the Montreal Canadiens last Wednesday. The Rangers were passive on both ends of the ice, frequently losing puck battles along the wall, failing to generate a forecheck and offering little resistance as the Flyers easily found paths to the crease.

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After showing jump and energy in the first period, the Rangers fell into a funk in the middle frame. Backup goaltender Antti Raanta had to make about five highlight-reel saves to keep the Blueshirts in a game that was quickly turning one-sided. The Rangers struggled to establish offensive zone time and could not the get their cycle game working.

"I thought we had another extraordinary goaltending performance today, but the rest of our game was absent in the second and the third," Vigneault said. "So we all learn lessons as individuals and teams. I think we got one today and hopefully we'll be good next game."

Things can snowball fast in the competitive Metropolitan Division. The 16-6-2 Rangers have lost their grip on first place. Riding a 7-2-1 stretch, the Washington Capitals are the new top dog. With four losses in their last six, the Rangers have wasted some stellar efforts between the pipes from Henrik Lundqvist and Raanta.

The Blueshirts are fully aware of the requisite compete level not being there. Center Derick Brassard said he's determined to help get the Rangers back on track.

"We just have to go back to doing the little things and trying a little harder, competing, and playing for each other," he said. "Every team goes through those phases. Right now, we are getting challenged. It's us players that have to answer the bell."

Captain Ryan McDonagh believes the Rangers need to reestablish pace, communication and energy.

"We talk about playing with pace and what it's going to take for us to get to that pace we want to play at," he said. "We need guys going through people; we need guys close for support in case there is a breakdown. [We need] a lot more communication and a lot more fire in our game."

Starting Monday, the Rangers will play four games in seven days, including a Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back -- away against the Islanders and home against the Colorado Avalanche. Games are coming fast and furious. It's time for the Rangers to dig themselves out of this rut.

"I think we looked at it as being pretty serious after one loss," winger Rick Nash said. "I feel like as good as a team as I know we can be, when you lose one, let alone two, you push the urgency button. Three is not acceptable for a team of our caliber. It's going back to video and figuring out what we need to do to limit scoring chances against and to gain more scoring chances."

The Rangers aren't hiding from their flaws. They are honest about their current situation and are fully capable of putting things right. In their two-plus seasons under Vigneault, their calling card has been rising in the face of adversity.

"I feel that this group knows how to respond," Vigneault said. "Obviously it would be hard to tell by the way we are paying now, but I know they're a very strong group and will have an opportunity to prove that Monday."

To borrow an AV phrase, it's time for the Rangers to put on their big boy pants.

Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey