It seems to be a challenging period for supporters of the New York Rangers, doesn’t it? The franchise currently occupies the ninth position in the Eastern Conference after completing 69 games. The Rangers have gathered a total of 72 points, achieved through 33 victories, 30 defeats, and 6 losses in overtime. As the regular season winds down, the possibility of clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs remains alive for some teams. However, others are already in fierce competition for that vital wild card position.

Recently, NFL legend Boomer Esiason expressed strong opinions regarding the NHL franchise, as noted on WFAN Sports Studio’s X profile, stating, “Obviously, they’re going to be desperate, but you would think that since the Rangers had a day off that they’d be a little bit more rested. They were so disconnected, so disinterested. This coach has got to go.”

All fingers were pointed at Peter Laviolette, the current coach of the New York Rangers. Just a few days ago, the franchise was firmly in control of the wild card spot. Nonetheless, their recent defeats did ignite this criticism from the NFL icon. The Rangers faced a setback with a 3-1 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers, followed by a narrow 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. The outcome of these two games has effectively eliminated their chances for a wildcard spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the frustration surrounding this situation is certainly justifiable.

“This is like, and I understand, I always want to be somewhat respectful to how difficult it is to deal with all of these players, whether it be the manager, Aaron Boone, we were talking about yesterday, or talking about Peter Laviolette right now, or talking about Tom Thibodeau, or talking about anybody who’s a leader of a team. But you could tell that the players just either they don’t give a damn or something is amiss within the body of the team that has been amiss since they lost last year to the Panthers in the playoffs,” Esiason remarked, drawing parallels with other New York sports franchises and highlighting the apparent lack of chemistry among the Rangers.

The NFL icon highlighted that this matter has persisted since the Rangers’ playoff defeat to the Florida Panthers. Last season, the team dominated the Eastern Conference, finishing with an impressive 112 points over 82 games. Their record stood at 55 wins, 23 losses, and 4 overtime losses. However, what happened in the franchise’s most recent game?

Bad day for the New York Rangers

As the regular season winds down, the New York Rangers have one clear objective: securing a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. At Madison Square Garden, the stage was set for a showdown with the Calgary Flames. The Rangers appeared to seize the advantage early on, thanks to Artemi Panarin’s goal just minutes into the first period. In a fierce response, the Flames struck back with two goals from Nazem Kadri and Matt Coronato.

The initial period concluded, and the scoreboard displayed a score of 2-1. Nonetheless, there remained a glimmer of hope for the Rangers to stage a comeback and clinch those coveted points for the wildcard position. Did they achieve their goals? Not exactly. In both the second and third periods, the Rangers failed to equalize or surpass the Flames in scoring, resulting in a final score of 2-1 in favor of the Flames. What were the coach’s remarks?

“[The compete] was not there. There was nothing there. They were faster than us, they got to the ice quicker than us, they were more ready. That’s the way the game played out,” stated Peter Laviolette. Clearly, the coach shared the fans’ frustration. Overall, the Rangers fell short in several aspects, yet they remain hopeful about their chances to secure a wildcard spot.