Mike Sullivan puts Rangers on blast for no-showing vs. Devils

The New York Rangers had been playing inspired hockey since returning from the Olympic break, as they won six of their first nine games back. Included in there was a four-game winning streak. The team saw the likes of Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault really step up and be two of their best producers on offense.

But now, the Rangers are on a two game losing streak. The 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings and a returning Artemi Panarin was rough. Their game against the New Jersey Devils was even worse, as they lost 6-3. The Rangers were outshot 39-18 by their rivals, with Jack Hughes once again having a big game at their expense with three points.

After the game, head coach Mike Sullivan didn't mince any words about the Rangers' performance, saying that it's difficult to win a game when the team only showed up for one period in the game.

"We weren't good enough. I don't think we were good enough all night long. We pushed in the third, but it's hard to win games when you only play a period," said Sullivan.

Mike Sullivan critical of Rangers after 6-3 loss to Devils

No lies detected. It's difficult to win a game by only showing up for one period in the entire 60-minutes of game-time. That even goes for a Devils team that is struggling this year. Yet, the Devils have owned the Rangers this season.

In the first period, the Rangers were only able to put up two shots on goal. while the Devils threatened the entire time with 17 attempts. Sure, one of those two shots on goal was a goal from defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, but the Devils scored two on their 17 shots. The second period, the Rangers put up a game-high nine shots on goal, with Mika Zibanejad putting the puck past Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom. In the third, the Rangers did manage to cut it to a 4-3 deficit after a Conor Sheary goal, but the Rangers allowed three Devils goals in the period, turning it into a blowout.

To make matters worse for the Rangers, they have been outscored 12-6 by the Devils in their two head-to-head meetings so far. They meet one more time this season on March 31.

The Rangers are in last place in the Eastern Conference for a reason. They are dreadful at home and they are simply outplayed by their division rivals, like the Devils and New York Islanders. The team not only lacks the quality star power to keep up with their counterparts, but the team overall just isn't consistent. This is a team that still needs to retool their roster.

Next up for the Rangers is a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are one point out of a Wild Card spot.