The Rangers do not play again until Friday when the Penguins come to the Garden, but the next three days will be the most critical of a season that is fast becoming a sinkhole.
President and general manager Chris Drury has the responsibility to hold a heart-to-heart with his team, both as a collective unit and in one-on-one meetings, to determine who exactly wants to be here and who is too butt-hurt to play for his teammates.
The standard of play at the Garden on Monday was actually the best it’s been for a couple of weeks, but the Rangers still were drubbed by the Devils 5-1 for their sixth regulation loss in the last seven games.
There were turnovers in the most deadly areas, there were odd-man rushes and breakaways early that led to an almost immediate 2-0 deficit that the Blueshirts were unable to overcome. It didn’t help at all that this was the night that Igor Shesterkin, under siege nearly all season, not only bent but broke while outplayed decisively at the other end by Jacob Markstrom.
