Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5db93ebf-0db0-482a-8241-83ebf5a9fa88.jpeg] Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images The New York Rangers’ playoff hopes continue to dwindle as they lost 5-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. Going into this matchup, the Rangers were six points out of the second wild-card spot, so a win was absolutely necessary. Despite a strong start, the Rangers quickly ran into trouble. Tampa Bay scored three goals in the span of 1:42 seconds in the first period with the Rangers committing two penalties. After 20 minutes of play, the Rangers trailed 3-0 and were booed off of the ice by the fans. In the second period, the Blueshirts showed some signs of life and Mika Zibanejad struck gold on the power play, cutting the Lightning’s lead to 3-1. However, in the final frame, the Rangers committed two more penalties, resulting in Brayden Point’s second power-play goal. It doesn't matter if the Rangers had some pushback through parts of the game, they made one too many mistakes early on in the contest and put themselves in an insurmountable hole to climb out of. “The last eight or nine minutes is where we lost the game tonight,” Peter Laviolette said. The Rangers are a fragile team and that was on full display tonight. When one thing goes wrong, the Blueshirts seem to panic and everything spirals out of control. It’s also hard to win a game after committing five penalties. These mistakes that the Rangers continually make whether it’s the defensive breakdowns, sloppy turnovers, or careless penalties are simply unacceptable. The mood around the team is demoralizing. The post game press conferences are beginning to get shorter and shorter. From Laviolette to the players to the reporters, everybody is running out of things to say. The Rangers also realize that time is running out to turn things around. Reality is staring them straight in the face. “It's terrible... If we keep playing like that, we’re going to miss the playoffs,” Artemi Panarin said. The Rangers will be back in action on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
