Rangerland is teetering on disaster. After half a season off disinterested play, the Rangers find themselves looking up from 10th place in the Conference, at the 9th place Islanders. Can it get any worse than that?. Is this the defining moment, when you look back at the end of the year, and say they really turned it around after losing three in a row and finding themselves in 10th place. Can this group do it? It”s looking like the answer is no.
The problem after 27 games is individual players not meeting consistent level of play expectations. Not exceeding, just meeting them. Its not about trying to be a scorer if your not, just be the player you were, when you arrived. Its why your here. But be that player, to many players are not playing to that threshold consistently, preferring instead to float through games going through the motions. You can forget about becoming a cohesive team, until all players bring their A game nightly.
This is not about a three game losing streak, its about the entire seasons body of work. This seasons expectations were to challenge for a Stanley Cup, not wallow in mediocrity. But until players start to bring their individual A game to the rink every night they can expect to be right where they are, out of the playoffs.
Its a very simple fix, when you look back after a game and say everyone played well and tried to make a difference, the scoreboard will show it. When only two or three players a night play well, and try to make a difference, the scoreboard shows that too. Hockey is not a game of excuses, which don’t win games. Its about hard work, determination and grit, attributes players must instill in themselves daily, not when they feel like it. Fix that and every thing else falls into place.
PIT
CBJ