The New York Rangers kick off a four-game road trip Sunday against the Calgary Flames with their season already at a crossroads.
The floundering Rangers have managed just one win in their last six games and are coming off a dispiriting 6-5 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
Admittedly, the Rangers looked past the Sharks, who had yet to win a game this season.
“Not ready to play,” captain J.T. Miller said. “Didn’t really respect our opponent.”
How bad was their performance? The Rangers fell behind 2-0 in the early going, trailed 3-1 at the first intermission, rallied and surrendered a lead, came up with another comeback to tie the game and then fell in extra time.
It was a result that had best be a wake-up call for the veteran-laden team which believes it is a Stanley Cup contender.
“It should be (a wake-up call) because I look at our last 2 outings, and that’s not the game that we want to put on the ice every night that we think will give us a chance to win. That’s for sure,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “You can’t play two-thirds of the game or half of the game and think you’re going to win consistently.”
Before making the trip, the Rangers made a roster move. Forward Matt Rempe was injured in a fight in the San Jose game and did not make the trip to his hometown. New York summoned 2021 first-round pick Brennan Othmann from the minors. The forward has played 25 NHL games over the past two seasons.
As frustrated as the Rangers are these days, the Flames are in an even worse position. Calgary sits at the bottom of the league standings and has lost eight straight games, the most recent a 5-3 road defeat to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
On the plus side, the struggling Flames scored three goals – their highest single-game mark since their season-opening win. However, the Flames once again lost despite opening the scoring (0-5 in such games) and were done in by surrendering four goals in the second period, two of them power-play markers.
“Five-on-five I think we’re doing some good things right now, but you’re not going to win hockey games if you’re taking minor penalties,” coach Ryan Huska said. “It’s just the way it goes.”
Calgary has surrendered seven opposing power-play goals over the last four games. In the last three outings, the Flames were in a position to win but watched it slip away.
“We’re killing ourselves with penalties, and they’re not physical penalties. They’re stick penalties,” forward Blake Coleman said. “They’re penalties that are avoidable, and you can work hard to avoid them. We just aren’t doing it. It’s disappointing because it’s been talked about – we know it’s been an issue – and it’s just not getting through.”
With their season already slipping away, the flickering Flames cannot even make room for moral victories. It is high time to string together victories and try to claw their way back into the mix.
“It’s always move on to the next day,” forward Nazem Kadri said, looking towards Saturday’s tilt. “That’s a game we want before we head off on the road (for a four-game road trip). That’s going to be one that we need.”
