​​The Rangers’ free fall continues, raising one big question: What’s next? 4 snack bars

NASHVILLE – A little more than six months ago, the New York Rangers were two wins shy of reaching the Stanley Cup Final. On Tuesday they lost a game against the bottom team in the league for the second time in eight days. They’re hitting .500 – a fraction of last season’s Presidents’ Trophy team.

The Rangers lost 2-0 to the Nashville Predators, who were the last team to come to Chicago and beat the Rangers this month. New York has lost 11 of its last 14 games and has fallen from 12-4-1 to a spot outside the playoffs.

“It’s about winning for us,” said Peter Laviolette shortly after the game. “Everyone is irritated by the whole thing. We have to find a way out, and quickly.”

The Rangers are 3-9-0 since general manager Chris Drury sent a memo to other teams saying he was open to business, adding the team’s longest-serving player, Chris Kreider, and captain, Jacob Trouba. mentioned by name. They are 2-6-0 since Drury traded Trouba to Anaheim. This is a team in free fall.

“I think it’s all mental right now,” defenseman Braden Schneider said after the recent loss. “We want to do the right things. We’re working on doing the right things and we’re just a hair off the mark – just a little off.

Here are four takeaways from the loss to the Predators, the latest low point of the Rangers’ season.

Limited offense with Panarin out

Top point producer Artemi Panarin (upper-body injury) had to skate in the morning on Tuesday but missed his second straight game in the evening. The Rangers were already finding it difficult to score before he was injured. Without him it will be even more difficult.

Vincent Trocheck was not lacking in performance against Nashville. He liked the opportunities New York offered.

“We have to put the puck in the net,” he said.

Laviolette was fine with his team’s first two periods of play, but didn’t like it in the third period. Nashville pushed at halftime and finally broke through when rookie Adam Wilsby danced around Reilly Smith and fired a shot from inside the box for his first NHL goal.

“We needed more in the third,” Laviolette said. “If you are 1-0 down, we have to find a way out of the crisis. That’s the point we can’t get to right now.”

Overall, New York was defeated 24-16 in the final two periods. According to Natural Stat Trick, Nashville dominated expected goals share during this stretch.

Especially with Panarin out, the Rangers need more from their top forwards. They just didn’t understand it. In the last five games, Mika Zibanejad, Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière have only scored one point each. Kreider has zero.

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The lack of defensive depth becomes apparent early on

With Trouba gone and K’Andre Miller injured, Laviolette swapped with a third defensive pair, Urho Vaakanainen and Chad Ruhwedel.

Ruhwedel attempted a loose puck at the top of the offensive zone, but as Filip Forsberg charged, the defenseman deflected the puck to Jonathan Marchessault, giving the Predators a three-on-two rush.

“It’s a 50-50 puck at the blue line,” Laviolette said. “We are being beaten. This can’t happen.”

Marchessault passed it to Forsberg in the Predators’ offensive zone. When Vaakanainen moved to defend Forsberg, the Swede passed to Steven Stamkos, who caught Marchessault with a backdoor feed. He scored a goal and gave the Predators the lead. It was a challenging move that failed due to a defensive error. Nashville never relinquished the lead.

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Cuylle shows some fire

Will Cuylle — who has 11 goals this season and plays with a ferocity the Rangers need — disliked a crosscheck from Luke Evangelista as Igor Shesterkin jumped on a puck midway through the second period. He stood up, turned around and charged at the Predators forward, just like Lafrenière. There was a scrum and Marc Del Gaizo ended up tackling Cuylle. Cuylle didn’t take this well and threw his gloves to the ground. The fight was short. The Rangers forward landed a punch and then sent Del Gaizo to the ice.

“He’s not afraid of anything,” Schneider said. “I love the way he plays. He’s fighting for us and that’s what we need now.”

The Rangers came out of the fray with a power play that didn’t result in a goal. They finished the night 0-2 with a man advantage. Trocheck thought the power play was working well, but again couldn’t finish it. Kreider caused several near misses.

“It’s a very good penalty shootout,” he said. “We had four or five pretty good looks. That’s good. We worked hard and took the pressure off. Unfortunately, that’s just how it is.”

What’s next?

The Rangers’ situation is getting worse. They are now a .500 team and their next seven games are against teams currently in the playoffs. Drury must decide whether the answers to saving this season lie in that locker room and, if not, whether there are moves that could give the team a fighting chance.

New York has two days off before playing in Dallas. The roster may not look the same once the puck drops.

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(Photo of Nashville’s Mark Jankowski celebrating teammate Adam Wilsby’s goal in the third period: Steve Roberts / Imagn Images)