The New York Rangers enter their second straight four-game week on the heels of their worst effort of the season – and without their best defenseman for the foreseeable future.
A pitiful performance (with the exception of goalie Igor Shesterkin) in a 4-1 home loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday took a lot of the glow off a week that saw them win three straight games – including a 4-2 road win against the first-place Carolina Hurricanes on Thanksgiving Eve. The Rangers basically mailed it in against the Bolts, earning serenades of boos from the Madison Square Garden faithful.