On Saturday afternoon, the New York Rangers fell to the Washington Capitals, 7-4, and are now 5-15-0 in their last 20 games. While New York did show some life offensively, it was special teams and poor defensive play that saw them fall against the team with the most points in the Eastern Conference.
Luckily for the Blueshirts, they have an immediate chance to bounce back; the Rangers have another matinee matchup today against the Chicago Blackhawks, who are currently in last place in the NHL. This is not to say the Rangers have an easy win, as Chicago was in this exact same position when they beat the Rangers at Madison Square Garden a month ago.
While the Rangers play has been noticeably better over the past few games, they need the wins to show for it. Here's three units that need to get going if New York is going to climb out of a hole.
1. Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere
For the entirety of the 2023-2024 season, this line was not only the best on the Rangers, but one of the best in the entire NHL. Panarin, Trocheck and Lafreniere all had career highs in points, and they looked like a threat every time they went on the ice.
That success has not been the same this season - Trocheck has dipped in play, Panarin is constantly double-teamed and Lafreniere has gone scorless in eight straight games. It has correlated to the Rangers being last in the NHL in goals per game over this long slump.
If New York wants to get going offensively, look no further than these players making an impact.
2. The Power Play
For years, New York's average 5v5 play was able to be bailed out by an elite power play, but the Rangers' power play has been a major problem lately. The unit has only scored one goal in its last 30+ tries and is now 26th in the NHL at 17.1%.
Against the Capitals, the Rangers were 0-for-4 and special teams made the difference. While they played well at 5v5, the power play did not convert on their chances. On the other side, Washington did, tallying two power play goals.
That was the difference in the game. One team is first in the Metropolitan Division. One is tied for last.
3. Defensemen (all of them!)
No notes. No analysis.
The Rangers need to play significantly better defense. Obviously.