The New York Rangers suffered another setback, falling 5-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden. The defeat further dims their slim hopes of reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.
Following Montreal’s 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings, the Rangers now trail the Canadiens by eight points for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. New York has five games left to play, while Montreal has four.
The loss to the Lightning was already tough for Rangers fans to stomach—especially after New York gave up three goals in just 1:45 during the first period—but head coach Peter Laviolette’s postgame comments only added fuel to the fire.
When asked about the message he delivered to the team following the blowout, Laviolette responded, “I don’t have a message right now. I don’t go into the locker room after the games.”
Given that a significant portion of the fan base is already calling for his dismissal after what’s shaping up to be one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, his remarks didn’t exactly help his standing with the public.
To be fair, it’s not unusual for NHL coaches to avoid the locker room immediately after games—win or lose—especially with experienced teams like the Rangers. Coaching styles vary, and some prefer to give players space before addressing them.
Still, head coach Peter Laviolette’s frustration was clear in his postgame demeanor. He kept his responses brief and appeared eager to leave the interview room—a reflection of the pressure surrounding his struggling squad.
The Rangers are now in a do-or-die situation. They’ll likely need to win all five of their remaining games, which would bring them to 89 points, and hope the Canadiens stumble badly down the stretch. Montreal’s magic number to eliminate New York is just three.
“We needed to win a game tonight and we didn’t win,” Laviolette said. “There’s been a lot of that throughout the course of the year.”