Here’s the thing about teams that find ways to win even while at less than their best, as the Rangers have done regularly over the last couple of weeks: They either raise their game on the fly and keep winning, or they begin to lose.
The Rangers thus are at a bit of a crossroads as they embark on a two-game tour that begins tonight in Ottawa and concludes Saturday night in Columbus before Washington comes to the Garden on Sunday.
The Rangers either get back to the strong forecheck, physical, down low, puck-possession game that they have adopted as an identity and worn as a badge, or they can expect resourceful victories to become disappointing defeats, just like Sunday’s 3-1 setback to the Senators.
“Our structure has definitely slipped the last little while and we need to re-center on that,” said Brandon Dubinsky, who hasn’t scored in his last eight. “I think we have a good maturity level on our team, and we’re all aware that our identity is based on our work ethic, so I’m not worried that we’re going to allow that to slip.
“I think one of the issues is that with our schedule in November, we never were able to have working practices like we’ve had these last two days. We needed these days as a kind of refresher to get back to basics.”
The Rangers have scored three goals in their past two games: one on a power play, one while shorthanded and one into an empty net. Eliminating last Thursday’s chaotic 6-5 victory at the Coliseum, the Rangers have scored 13 goals in seven games, five while five-on-five, four on the power play, three while shorthanded and one empty-netter.
John Tortorella, who lambasted his club in a meeting prior to Tuesday’s practice and still was chapped yesterday about Sunday’s uninspired effort in the loss to an Ottawa team that had gone 2-7-1 while scoring 13 goals in its previous 10 — “It still doesn’t sit well,” he said — will be going with a new set of lines.
Marian Gaborik, who has two hat tricks in his last 12 games but only two goals in the other 10 matches, will skate with Derek Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko while Artem Anisimov will reclaim his spot between Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust will play with Alex Frolov while Sean Avery and Erik Christensen have been booted to the fourth unit with Derek Boogaard.
Avery skated with Boyle and Prust on Tuesday, which was when Frolov’s interview with a news outlet in Russia in which he complained about his ice-time and assignment to the fourth line appeared in translated form on the Internet.
It would be no surprise if the switch was made in order to showcase Frolov, 0-0 in his last eight games and 1-0 in his last 12. Glen Sather likely is the most tolerant GM in the league, but he is not at all big on underachieving players complaining in public, no matter the language.
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Vinny Prospal, out all year with a right knee injury for which he underwent surgery on Oct. 4, skated before practice in full equipment for the first time.
“So far so good,” No. 20 told The Post. “But [trainer Jim Ramsay] said that how I feel in 24 hours is key.”