Rangers: Home disaster contrasts with their away success, What’s happening?

Rangers: Road Dominance Contrasts with Home Performance

The Rangers, despite having the best away record in the NHL, with 11 wins, show an inconsistent performance at home. After impressive away wins against Carolina and Boston, and a three-game winning streak overall, the Rangers fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning with a score of 4-1 in their last encounter at Madison Square Garden. This loss worsened the Rangers’ home record to 2-8-1, where they have only scored three goals in eight regulation losses.

“We didn’t have our best game,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan stated after the Lightning’s victory, extending their winning streak to seven games.

Mike Sullivan

Home performance has been a consistent concern for the Rangers, contrasting with their dominance at Madison Square Garden two seasons ago, when they achieved a 30-11-0 record and accumulated 114 points, the best in the league. The current season began with a 3-0 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, followed by shutouts against Washington and Edmonton, before scoring a goal in a 3-1 loss to Minnesota on October 20. After losing 6-5 in overtime against San Jose, the Rangers were shut out by Carolina and the Islanders, achieving their first home win in their eighth attempt, 6-3 over Nashville on November 10. Then they lost 2-1 to Detroit on November 16 and won 3-2 against St. Louis on Monday. With five shutout losses in their first seven home games, they matched a record set by the now-defunct 1928-29 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Rangers’ lack of offense reached new levels against the Lightning, being outshot 11-2 in the first period and 16-7 in the second.

“They were more determined than us today. They were ready for every battle,” commented Rangers captain J.T. Miller.

J.T. Miller

Miller, who returned to the Rangers after a trade with Vancouver on January 31 and was named captain before this season, scored New York’s only goal on Saturday, but his frustration after the home defeats is evident.

“We did it ourselves. There was no urgency today. It’s unacceptable,” Miller added.

J.T. Miller

The captain’s assistant, Vincent Trocheck, emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive mindset as the season progresses.

“This game is mostly mental. It’s up to you to fight the negativity,” Trocheck said. “It’s just a matter of us playing the right way.”

Vincent Trocheck

The Rangers will rest on Sunday before practicing on Monday and facing the Dallas Stars at home on Tuesday. Next weekend won’t be any easier with the visit of the league-leading Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, followed by Vegas on Sunday. New York will play seven of its next 10 games at home, looking to replicate its success as a visitor on its own ice.

“It’s about focusing on one game at a time,” Trocheck said.

Vincent Trocheck

The Rangers heard boos at the end of Saturday’s loss, which did not go unnoticed by Mika Zibanejad, the team’s most veteran player.

“I understand our fans’ reaction. We are more frustrated than they are,” Zibanejad commented.

Mika Zibanejad

Coach Sullivan added that defenseman Adam Fox will be evaluated after taking a hard hit during Saturday’s loss. Fox assisted on Miller’s goal and is tied for the team lead in points with 26.