Remember that time Chris Drury sold James Dolan a false bill of goods after Tom Wilson embarrassed the Rangers in 2021 and got the regime changed? Well Tom Wilson certainly had a day for the Capitals after being named to the Team Canada Olympic team with 2 goals and a fight after taking Noah Laba out of the game with a clean hit. Yes it was clean. No response from the Rangers though, so maybe that Tom Wilson problem hasn’t been fixed after all.
Give Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick weapons to defend themselves with in net. That’s probably the only way they can deal with whatever it is the rest of the team is doing on the ice lately. Yesterday’s performance is much more in line with what this team truly is, as opposed to the five spot in the third period last week. They lack finishing ability, they play too much north/south and can’t adjust on the fly when teams shutdown their tactics, and the talent they do have isn’t remotely up to snuff to be considered a legitimate contender.
The only real good news of the day was the return to the lineup of Adam Fox, only to be snubbed by Team USA later in the day. His impact on the ice was felt immediately as he got a power play goal and an assist in the game. He has been sorely missed each and every night. While his presence alone evidently is not the formula for wins vs losses, the Rangers are a better product when Adam Fox is in the lineup.
Injuries during the game to Noah Laba and Conor Sheary will complicate things for the Rangers, as both will be out for a while. This second half of the season isn’t going to mean anything other than trying not to get embarrassed every night as we inch closer and closer to the trade deadline. Unfortunately the Rangers are about to get a whole lot slower, and the center depth is going to really take a hit if Laba is out for any extended period of time. Hope for the best and we’ll see what happens.