With a fully healthy set of forwards for the first time in months, an optimistic Rangers coach Alain Vigneault had said before Tuesday night’s game with the Dallas Stars: “It’s almost like starting over.”
But for two periods, the backsliding Blueshirts continued their dreadful play, leaving wide-open space in front of their net and Henrik Lundqvist often looked lost, sinking deeper into his slump, appearing to have issues with confidence and tracking the puck.
Those forwards managed just 15 shots on goaltender Antti Niemi through two periods, and the Rangers — despite scoring three goals in the third — lost their season-high third straight game in a 7-6 decision at Madison Square Garden.