New York Rangers Notes

* I’m sure that’s exactly how Alain Vigneault wanted to celebrate his two-year extension, with his team playing the first 40 minutes as though they didn’t know there was a game Tuesday night. This has become something of a theme this year, no? The Rangers using the first

* This is the third installment of “trust the process not the result” that probably could have had a couple more but sometimes I forget this is an option. Basically, for those who are new to the game, this is saying “the Rangers played really well, deserved to win and lost

* That’s a perfect game to highlight three things: 1) just how much the defense has left Henrik Lundqvist out to dry this year, 2) that Lundqvist is slowly working himself back into form, and 3) that anyone complaining about Lundqvist’s demise hit the panic button way too soon

* What an astoundingly boring hockey game. For a Sunday matinee on NBC against two teams that had at least provided some excitement the last couple of times they’ve played each other, that was brutal. Even so, the Rangers were pretty thoroughly dominated in shots, scoring chances and expected goals.

* The Rangers were coming off a three-game losing streak that’s had everyone questioning everything. Alain Vigneault was at a loss to the media. Henrik Lundqvist was spitting fire after the games. Derek Stepan was talking about how embarrassing the Rangers’ effort was. It was a dark time, and to

* Look, every team is going to have games like that. Every Stanley Cup winner throws up laughers, lays eggs and craps the bed. For Stanley Cup contenders, however, those moments are rarities on a landscape filled with gutsy wins, clutch performances and statement wins. I think we can all agree