Rangers limp into break after another disastrous loss to rival Devils with Chris Kreider scratched

Every game the Rangers have played recently has come with seismic implications. 

With the season already hanging in the balance with 48 games still left on the schedule, each time the Blueshirts step on the ice, it has felt like the biggest game of the year.

And yet, day after day, the severity of their situation seemingly does nothing but weigh the Rangers down. 

Monday afternoon’s 5-0 disaster against the Devils at Prudential Center was no outlier. 

“We’ve got to show more heart,” said Vincent Trocheck, who dropped the gloves with Paul Cotter early in the game to try to inject some life into his team. “To a man, everybody has got to look himself in the mirror and dig deeper.” 

Head coach Peter Laviolette agreed with the assessment. He has been harping on the Rangers’ effort for weeks, and it prompted the veteran coach to bench Chris Kreider on Monday in the name of needing more from the team’s longest-tenured player.