The New York Rangers no-showed last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, giving us one of their worst bad losses in recent memory. Thinking they could just steamroll their shorthanded opponent without their two best players, the Rangers got crushed in the first two periods, allowing a whopping 54 shot attempts to their 28, which was just 9 in the first period. They allowed 8 (!!!) high danger chances in the second period alone. They should have walked away with two points. Instead, they disappointed us all.

There was no excuse for how the Rangers played last night. No Sidney Crosby. No Evgeni Malkin. Yet the Rangers mustered just one high danger chance in two periods on those 28 shot attempts. All in all, the Rangers took just 17 shots in the first two periods. That is where they lost the game.

If you’re looking for a bright side, the Rangers showed up and dominated the third period, allowing just 3 shot attempts and no shots on goal. That’s good, even against a team without its two top players turtling and defending a lead.

But they could not score. That’s what happens when you play just one period out of three. You leave things to chance. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped the 7 shots that actually got through. Another 17 were blocked. The final 8 shots missed the net. Thirty-two shot attempts, seven shots on goal. Sad.

The Rangers, in a game they really needed to keep the momentum going into the Four Nations break, took the night off. It’s inexcusable and if the players won’t say it, then we will. We can accept a game where they get goalied. This was not that. The Rangers no-showed. For a team fighting for a playoff spot, this was pathetic.

Now the Rangers have to travel to Columbus for the second of a back to back in a must win situation against a team ahead of them in the standings. Historically, the Rangers have done well in the second of back to backs, but who knows with this team.

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