What is Causing the Rangers' Current Funk

The Rangers have certainely not been playing their best hockey as of lately, as taken notice by their first three consecutive regulation losses over the past three games. While fans are in a tizzy about all of this sudden losing, they players don't seem to be as concerned for their current struggles. Let's analyze this recent slump, shall we?


The last three losses for the Rangers: New Jersey, a teal still fighting to stay out of that eighth place spot. A team that does not want to have to face the defending champs in the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. A desperate team. The Devils severely outworked the Rangers all game and came away with a 4-1 win.


The Ottawa Senators: another team on that playoff bubble, fighting to get a higher seed. With Erik Karlsson who has been phenominal all season, and Jason Spezza who has been holding it down for the Ottawa lineup, they are a good team, and another desperate one at that.


The Chicago Blackhawks: a team that went through some troubles about a month ago where they could not win a game until they exploded against the Rangers and beat them 4-2. Unlike the Eastern Conference, the West is a bit tighter when it comes to lower-tier standings and teams in that Conference need to scratch and claw to get every advantage.



The point I am trying to get at here is that the three teams the Rangers lost to over the past three games are fairly good teams. If it were a string of the Oilers, Blue Jackets, and Islanders, then I would be concerned. But here is why I'm not.


First of all, it's the first time the Rangers have lost three regulation games in-a-row ALL SEASON. That means, that with only fifteen games left, they haven't lost this many games in regulation in a row since Day 1. And the players are aware of that. Ryan Callahan stated to the media on the topic, ‎"It's not a crisis. This is the fist time all year we've lost three straight (in regulation), and we have what, 15 games left? That's pretty good. It's a bump in the road and something we have to overcome."

Does that sound like a man that is panicking to you? The team realizes how close they are to actually clinching, and aren't worried that they aren't getting it done in recent games because they are still in first place in the Easter Conference. Sure, losing three games in a row is nothing to be proud of if you're a professional athlete, but it happens sometimes. Maybe, since they're so close to clinching, the team is letting up on the gas in order to not burn themselves out for the playoffs? Or perhaps to avoid a potential season-ending injury on the 80th game of the season a-la Ryan Callahan a year ago.

I profoundly believe that this is not a collapse, and the Rangers will persevere when it matters most in the playoffs. I just home my fellow Rangers fans see the same way and don't continue to lose their heads over this stretch of losses.