A bunch of slumping star players proved to be contagious and ignited a team-wide collapse for the Rangers, who spent Christmas in the basement of the Metropolitan Division because of it.
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.
The decision to sit the longest tenured Ranger comes amid the club’s 4-12 skid and free fall in the standings to sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 22nd in the NHL.
A repeat offender in the eyes of the NHL, as a player who has been disciplined within the last 18 months, the Rangers forward's punishment certainly reflects the league’s initiative to send a message.
Their 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden counted as the 10th time the Rangers followed a win with a loss this season.
Rempe drew three penalties in the second period alone, in addition to posting five hits and one shot on goal in 5:27 of ice time in the Blueshirts’ 3-1 win over the Stars on Friday night at American Airlines Center.
This has become a war inside the Rangers’ heads more than anything. Every day seems to bring another negative headline to creep into the team’s psyche and mess with it further.
Kaapo Kakko did not mince words while reflecting on his healthy scratching in St. Louis, where the Rangers still lost despite head coach Peter Laviolette’s personnel decisions.
