The New York Rangers faced a disappointing weekend as they stumbled with two consequential losses against their playoff rivals, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators. The 7-3 defeat to the Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, March 9, 2025, accentuated their struggles and relegated them to the sidelines of the playoff picture.
It was the second night of heartbreak for the Rangers, who had already suffered a narrow 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators just the day before. This consecutive failure to secure points left the Rangers trailing in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, now needing to close the gap with just over five weeks remaining in the regular season.
Head coach Peter Laviolette expressed his frustration about the back-to-back games, stating, "It came in different ways against us tonight. We either get beat, the coverage broke down, or it bounces in a different direction... Every goal was a different scenario. At the end of the day, it’s not good enough. We gave up chances... right in front of our net, and we can’t let this happen." The game was indicative of long-standing issues plaguing the Rangers—namely defensive breakdowns and inconsistent performances.
On Sunday night, Columbus's Adam Fantilli put on quite the show, scoring his second career hat trick and two goals within 26 seconds during the second period. His efforts propelled the Blue Jackets to their first wild-card position, accumulating 70 points, one more than the Senators, who sit just above the Rangers. The Blue Jackets also benefitted from contributions from Mathieu Olivier, who scored twice, and Justin Danforth, who netted the first goal of the game.
The Rangers struggled defensively throughout both matchups, being outscored 11-4 at even strength over the weekend. On Sunday night, the team showcased particularly poor defensive drills multiple times, culminating with the fluke own goal by Zac Jones when he accidentally guided the puck past goalie Jonathan Quick. Quick had allowed seven goals on just 27 shots faced—a glaring number for someone who has been providing reliable backup for the team.
Despite the bleak outcome, New York’s Artemi Panarin managed to tie his career high by scoring for the fifth consecutive game. Panarin redirected puck past the Blue Jackets’ goalie, Daniil Tarasov, tying the game at 1-1 late in the first period. The Rangers also managed to rally with two shorthanded goals from Braden Schneider and Chris Kreider, marking the first time since March 5, 2014, they scored twice short-handed during the same penalty kill.
Vincent Trocheck summarized the team's frustrations perfectly, stating, "We're just shooting ourselves in the foot. The majority of the goals against have just been us giving them grade-A chances." The defense had once shown signs of improvement, but the back-to-back games against competitive teams exposed the Rangers again. Center Mika Zibanejad remarked on the missed opportunity, saying, "It's tough, especially with it being two teams we’re battling against. We definitely have to win the games coming up."
Reflecting on the team's inconsistent play, K’Andre Miller acknowledged, “This one sucks. It’s going to sting for a little bit, but we’ll try to turn the page as quick as we can.” The emotional impact of these losses will linger, forcing the Rangers to reassess their strategy moving forward.
The road doesn't get easier for the Rangers either. They face the Winnipeg Jets—currently leading the Western Conference—on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. This series of challenging games will be particularly pivotal, as the Rangers are now one point outside the cut-off for the wild card. Their chances of making the playoffs are slim, demanding immediate improvement to sustain any hope. Laviolette concluded, "We’ve got to get back to work. It didn’t go our way; it is frustrating. We’ve got to win games." Whether the Rangers can respond positively on their upcoming road trip will determine if they can still keep the dream of playoff hockey alive.