Rangers vs. Senators: Bad, Worse, and Demoralizing
The New York Rangers lost a game they couldn't have needed more, and in the worst way possible.
- There are bad losses. There are really bad losses. There are brutal losses. There are disastrous losses. And then there are all of the above, with an added layer of absolute demoralization. That loss against Ottawa, where the Rangers were coming off the trade deadline, with what the Rangers were presenting themselves as recently, and with what the score was early in that third period, is about as bas a loss as I can remember.
- There are so many places to go here, so let's start at the top.
- The head coach continues to do what he can to push this lineup into the worst place it can be. I understand putting Chris Kreider into the lineup. I do not understand taking out Brett Berard to keep Jonny Brodzinski in. Brennan Othmann was pushed to the fourth line to play less than 10 minutes alongside Rempe, who legitimately was one of the Rangers' best forwards down the stretch. These decisions made the Rangers slower, and it makes them less tenacious—which showed throughout the game, with Ottawa having their way with this Rangers group, particularly in the third.
- And let's talk about those third periods, right? The Rangers have been so lackluster in third periods all year. It really hasn't mattered because the games haven't really mattered. But it matters now with a young group who would benefit (if allowed to play) in the playoffs. Outshot 14-5 in the third up a goal, and then up two goals, is a joke. The turtling and begging for your goaltender to be perfect is a strategy this organization has employed for two decades. The guys Laviolette is tossing over the bench don't help either, so let's get to that.
- The two worst players on the ice, bar none, were Braden Schneider and Urho Vaakanainen. The game charts showed it as much as the eye test did. The two of them were manhandled by Ottawa, specifically in the third, and gave up critical goals. And then guess who Laviolette threw back out there at the end of the third when shortening his bench from Zac Jones and Carson Soucy?
Wanna take a guess which two defenseman Laviolette road through the third period when they were getting shelled? https://t.co/jm9WvoceIy
— Joe Fortunato (@JoeFortunatoBSB) March 8, 2025
