Another day, same old heartbreak for the New York Rangers. This time, they lost a very close 2-1 game to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday which can be added to the list of the team’s ups and downs of the season. But let’s face it, the scorecard was not the most significant discussion topic of the night. Nope, all eyes were on Matt Rempe, who seems to have an invisible bullseye on his back. The guy’s been putting in solid shifts, proving he’s more than just an enforcer, but the refs? They’re not letting him shake that reputation so easily. It is as if he is treading on thin ice out there and is being penalized for the sort of fouls that some other players may not be penalized for.

Case in point—Tuesday night’s game, where a questionable call ended up costing the Rangers big time. With the game locked at one early in the second, Rempe got shoved into Jets’ netminder Connor Hellebuyck by Morgan Barron. Clear as day, right? But instead of Barron getting flagged, it was Rempe who was given a two-minute goalie interference penalty. And just like that, the momentum swung, leaving fans (and probably the entire Rangers’ bench) shaking their heads. Now, the New York Rangers’ coach has weighed in on the controversy, giving his final say on the call that might’ve just tipped the scales in yet another frustrating loss.

New York Rangers’ coach, Peter Laviolette, wasn’t sugarcoating a thing in the post-game presser—frustration was written all over his face. “There’s no consolation in that at this point in the season, right? We need wins, we need points, so it’s frustrating for sure. The guys did play hard tonight and couldn’t get it to swing our way.” And honestly? That just about sums it up. Effort was there, the fight was there, but the hockey gods (and maybe the refs) had other plans.

Then came the elephant in the room—that call on Matt Rempe. A journalist brought it up, asking if there was at least an explanation for the penalty that Laviolette could stomach. His response? Yeah, not so much. “Yeah, I mean, there’s—I didn’t agree with it. But you know, they’re saying they want to protect the goaltender. But I—it’s—I just didn’t agree with it.” Translation? The coach was not buying it. And for the New York Rangers’ squad clawing for every point, that whistle couldn’t have come at a worse time.

And what happened during the game? The Rangers had their chances, but the hockey gods—and maybe the refs—weren’t exactly on their side. It started when Namestnikov scored a goal for the Jets with a help of a lucky bounce off Sam Carrick’s arm, making it 1-0. Zibanejad answered on the power play, scoring a great pass from J.T. Miller to the back of the net. But the second period was where things began to get out of hand—six penalties, a lot of the whistle, and a controversial moment that had everyone talking.

Vilardi took the lead back with a power play goal, of which he scored a beautiful goal after a perfect pass from Perfetti. The Jets had taken a 3-1 lead in the third period with Dylan DeMelo’s goal, but after a challenge by the coach and a review, the goal was disallowed for interference with the goaltender. However, no happy ending for the Blueshirts–only fourth loss on the trot. And the New York Rangers’ coach has even reflected on their previous games and its loss!

New York Rangers’ coach gets honest about the losses!

Two days ago, the Rangers were defeated by the Blue Jackets with a score of 7-3, and after that, Peter Laviolette was not going to make excuses. He exclaimed that the defense had totally crumbled, thereby exposing Jonathan Quick in the middle of the ice. “There were guys right in front of Quick with no support and no help.” Columbus didn’t just take advantage—they ran the show, scoring at will while the Rangers scrambled to keep up.

And it wasn’t just bad luck—it was mistake after mistake. A bounce off a blade, a man falling in the corner, a shattered stick at the worst time. Laviolette was not shy to go on and say, “I don’t think the execution was very good on us coming out of the zone. I thought we just kind of threw it away. That led to offense, that led to goals as well.” Instead of executing crisp passes and making accurate passes, they were almost feeding Columbus with the goal scoring opportunities.

Now, with four straight losses, the Rangers are on thin ice—literally. Playoff hopes? Fading fast. As Laviolette put it, “We weren’t clean. We have to be cleaner than that.” If they don’t turn things around quickly, they’ll be watching the postseason from the couch.