Rangers: Home disaster contrasts with their away success; What’s up?

Rangers: Road Dominance Contrasts with Home Performance

The New York Rangers, despite having the best away record in the NHL, with 11 wins, have shown inconsistent performance at home. This disparity was again evident in their recent match against Tampa, where they suffered a defeat. After impressive away wins against Carolina and Boston, and amidst a three-game winning streak, the Rangers fell to the Tampa team, losing 4-1. This defeat worsened their record at Madison Square Garden to 2-8-1. In the eight regulation-time home defeats, the Rangers have only scored a total of three goals.

We didn’t have our best game. It’s obvious.

Rangers Coach, Mike Sullivan

This situation contrasts with the dominant performance the team exhibited at MSG two seasons ago, when they achieved a 30-11-0 record and accumulated 114 points, the best in the league. The home season start was not promising, with a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, followed by shutouts against Washington and Edmonton. They scored a goal in the 3-1 loss against Minnesota on October 20th. After an overtime loss against San Jose, they were shut out by Carolina and the Islanders before securing their first home win in their eighth attempt, defeating Nashville 6-3 on November 10. They then lost 2-1 against Detroit on November 16 and won 3-2 against St. Louis last Monday. With five shutout losses in their first seven home games, they matched a record set by the now-defunct 1928-29 Pittsburgh Pirates. New York’s offensive ineffectiveness reached new levels against Tampa, 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. At no point in the game did we deserve to win.

Rangers Captain, J.T. Miller

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

We did it to ourselves. There was no urgency today. It’s unacceptable.

J.T. Miller

Assistant captain Vincent Trocheck emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive attitude as the season progresses.

This game is mainly mental. It’s up to you to fight against negativity. It’s a matter of us playing the right way.

Vincent Trocheck

The Rangers will have a day off on Sunday, practice on Monday, and then face the Dallas Stars at home on Tuesday. Next weekend won’t be any easier, with the league-leading Colorado Avalanche visiting on Saturday, followed by Vegas on Sunday. New York will play seven of its next 10 games at home, looking to match its away performance on its own ice.

It’s about focusing on one game at a time.

Vincent Trocheck

The Rangers were booed at the end of Saturday’s loss, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Mika Zibanejad, the team’s most senior player.

I understand our fans’ reaction. We are more frustrated than they are.

Mika Zibanejad

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