New York Rangers must show mental strength in adversity

It has been feast and famine for the New York Rangers of late, who have lurched from one extreme to the other.

After carving out an incredible run to make their postseason dream seem a near reality, the New York Rangers were dealt a harsh reality check over the weekend.

After losing Chris Kreider to a fractured foot, days after he signed a new seven-year, $45,500,000 contract, the Blueshirts lost both games of a home-and-home double-header to the Philadelphia Flyers.

While the first game on Friday was much closer than the final scoreline suggested, the second contest at Madison Square Garden on Sunday was ugly.

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Henrik Lundqvist, making his first start in almost a month, looked rusty as he was left out to dry early and often, resulting in another body blow to the Rangers’ playoff hopes.

It compounded what was a miserable weekend for this young group who had their resolve tested time and time again.

It was clear that the significant loss of Kreider hurt the team, and the damage was done by way of two costly losses to a division rival in the Flyers who are on an absolute tear right now.

There were lessons to be taken from those two losses, mainly how the Flyers have built a roster boasting an abundance of skill, youth, experience and toughness, a lethal and successful mix.

But for now the focus is on the immediate weeks for the Rangers who must rediscover the mental toughness and resilience that formed the backbone of their nine straight wins on the road and a run of nine wins from 10 outings.

This team has come too far to simply crumble and collapse now, although the path ahead won’t get any easier.

For instance, the Rangers take on the reigning Stanley Cup champions the St. Louis Blues tonight, who have ripped off seven straight wins.

But this is a big game for the Blueshirts who can’t afford to lose any more ground in the race for the postseason, and we will see the true measure of the character of this team at Madison Square Garden later.

After all, the Rangers have shown that they do boast mental strength and grit in abundance, and both qualities will now need to rise to the fore.

They need to drag themselves off the canvas, put their mouth guards back in and be prepared to go to war over the coming weeks.

Injuries and setbacks are commonplace in professional sports, and the Rangers can’t let a few body blows knock them out if they want to be successful.

This group as it is currently constituted need to now use the loss of Kreider and the two defeats to the Flyers as motivation, as fuel to light a fire underneath themselves and embark on another lengthy run.

If they can do that then maybe all hope isn’t lost and we will learn a lot more about the mental makeup of the Rangers heading into next year.

The examination of just that will start tonight and the New York Rangers must show some resolve and some fight if they are to avoid a blip morphing into a mass epidemic.