Copyright yardbarker
It was after this road trip that Drury sent out a memo to the 31 other teams saying he was open for business, and names like Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider were specifically raised as being available. What was supposed to be a wake-up call for the team turned into the players just giving up on the season, as the team lost 13 of the next 17 games and Trouba and Kaapo Kakko were traded over that span. Last season’s downfall began on this western road trip, and right now, this road trip has not gotten off to the best start. A Loss to the 32nd Place Calgary Flames After handing the San Jose Sharks their first win of the season in the game prior, the Rangers headed to Calgary to face a Flames team that had lost eight in a row and had yet to win a game on home ice (just like the Rangers). In a game that should have been a bounce-back from their previous loss, the Flames dominated from the opening minutes and won 5-1. The Rangers looked sloppy and like a team that didn’t give the Flames the respect they deserved. The Rangers’ only goal came from rookie Noah Laba, which was the first of his NHL career. That cut the deficit to 2-1, but the Flames took over from there, and the Rangers didn’t have an answer. The Rangers’ top players looked invisible, and once again the bottom six got the majority of the best chances (but they could not capitalize.) It was the game against the Flames last season that was the beginning of the end of the end, and now, the Rangers are hoping this season doesn’t suffer the same fate. Rangers Need to Play Better as Road Trip Continues As of writing, the Rangers are tied for last place in the Eastern Conference, but the Boston Bruins have played one more game, so they technically are last. It is still early enough for the Rangers to turn it around, but a turnaround needs to start now, and they need to turn this road trip into a positive instead of another negative that brings the team down. It starts tonight, when they face the Canucks in J.T. Miller’s return to Vancouver. It will be an emotional game for Miller, and he should turn that emotion into on-ice success. He has been very disappointing so far this season, with just two goals and six points in 10 games.
