HERE’S THE LOWDOWN: Steve Eminger hits the ice as the Jets’ Dustin Byfuglien skates around him during the Rangers’ 3-1 loss last night in Winnipeg. (Reuters)
WINNIPEG — Regardless of bygone good feelings or preseason expectations, the reality of the situation is with more than half the season played, the Rangers are now on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
Last night, they lost their second in a row, a tight 3-1 defeat to the Jets at the MTS Centre that was not so much a beating as it was a continued undercutting of any declaration the Blueshirts can make as a serious contender.
“It’s not good enough,” said captain Ryan Callahan, who scored his ninth goal of the season to tie it at 1-1 in the second period. “We need the two points right now.”
The Rangers (13-11-2) and the Jets (14-11-2) came into the game tied for the eighth and final playoff spot, but the team that was two wins away from last year’s Stanley Cup Finals is now the one looking up in the standings with 22 games remaining.
“Obviously, being in ninth place and having 20 or so games left, that urgency has to be there,” Callahan said. “It has to show on the ice.”
At the opening of this four-game road trip, the Rangers put together a dominating 4-1 win at Washington, and their season seemed to be gaining traction. But having won five of six going into to Buffalo on Tuesday, they decided to lay the season’s largest egg there, losing 3-1 and getting reamed out afterward by coach, John Tortorella.
Then came a spirited practice on Wednesday, followed by an effort last night that created a chorus of Tortorella catcalls from the Winnipeg faithful.
“The what?” Tortorella said when asked about the 15,004 riled-up Canadians who repeatedly reigned down their mockery by chanting his name.
A Rangers’ spokesperson then quickly drew the postgame press conference to a close, but the inconsistency of the Blueshirts was already on display for all to witness.
“The games right now are being decided in front of both nets and we have to learn from that,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who was terrific in making 30 saves but couldn’t stop Antti Miettinen from deflecting one in off his arm, 14:52 into the second, to make it 2-1. “You have to be in the blue [paint] and you have to pay the price for it.”
Instead the Rangers’ chances were kept mostly to the outside, even when they started generating pressure in the second period and had equalized an early first-period, power-play goal from former Ranger Nik Antropov.
“I just thought we’d take a rest [between the second and third], go back and keep doing what we’re doing and we’ll get it,” said Brad Richards, who had a great chance from right in front early in the second robbed by Ondrej Pavelec (28 saves). “But for some reason we didn’t.”
It also would have been a different story had Marian Gaborik — who drew the ire of Tortorella on Tuesday and found himself demoted and partially benched — could have buried his first-period breakaway or the subsequent penalty shot, both attempts being fumbled into the pads of Pavelec.
Though Gaborik played a more assertive game, it wasn’t enough, as Jets’ captain Andrew Ladd finished things off with an empty-netter.
“It doesn’t matter about the way you play, especially this late,” said Callahan, whose team travels to Pittsburgh for a matchup tomorrow against the division-leading Penguins. “Not a lot of games left.”