Twice during this young season, the Rangers have reached .500. Both times, they have lost their next game, and both times those contests have been one-sided. The team's uneven start continued in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Devils, a defeat that left them at 4-5-0 and fourth in the Atlantic Division.
The good: The Rangers have won two of their last four games. They played their last three (a 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh, a 3-2 win at Tampa Bay and Tuesday's loss at New Jersey) without captain Ryan Callahan. He injured his shoulder in a post-whistle scrum with against the Flyers. He left the game with his arm dangling, but not before he scored the eventual game-winning goal.
Why is this injury under the “good” heading? Despite more serious fears, an MRI exam showed that Callahan would miss two weeks with what the team is only required to describe as an “upper-body injury.” The captain, vital on the power play and penalty kill, has already returned to practice, though he is not game-ready yet.
The bad: Why can’t the Rangers beat the Penguins? Pittsburgh has won six straight in the series dating back to last season, including two wins at Madison Square Garden in 2013. Tomas Vokoun stopped 28 shots in the Rangers’ listless 3-0 loss on Thursday. They hit the post twice in the third period, but never appeared in the game. Evgeni Malkin put Pittsburgh ahead just 84 seconds into the game, and nothing the Rangers did after that inspired much confidence. Coach John Tortorella said, “It was probably the worst we've played all year, collectively.”
The ugly: The Rangers’ power play, needless to say, is still struggling. They have had 35 cracks and only three goals. That percentage is worst in the league. Callahan’s injury hurts in this department, but the Rangers’ struggles run deeper than one missing player. In the first period Tuesday, the Rangers had four power plays to the Devils' one. Neither team scored on them, but during the nine minutes, 59 seconds of even play (one penalty overlapped for a second), the Devils outscored the Rangers 2-0.
Also annoying Tortorella is the team’s surprising tendency to take too-many-men on the ice penalties. In Tueday’s win, Carl Hagelin put his team at a disadvantage. During one stretch, the Rangers were whistled for the violation in three straight games. “I focus on the dumbness of Hagelin,” Tortorella said after the game. Hagelin had four shots, but his effort was “washed out by dumbness.”
This week: After playing the Devils, the Rangers clash with the Islanders on Thursday. Sunday brings a rematch against Tampa Bay, this time at home. The Rangers look up at the Devils, who beat them in last year’s Eastern Conference finals, and the Islanders, who have nine points from eight games and have been a pleasant surprise. The Rangers, disorganized and out of playoff position a fifth of the way through the lockout-shortened season, have not.
