The New York Rangers have been the NHL’s worst club on home ice this season, and they may have reached a new low on Monday evening against the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden.
While they managed to avoid being shut out for the eighth time on home ice this season, they were held to only nine shots on goal for the entire evening.
It was the first time in the NHL’s salary cap era that a team was held below 10 shots on goal, and for the Rangers it was their lowest shot total in a home game since 1955.
To put it frankly, those are some astounding stats in what has been a truly miserable campaign for the Rangers, who are going to finish nowhere near a postseason spot.
And afterward, team captain J.T. Miller, who has faced some growing criticism for his own lackluster playing style at times, took the rest of the team to task.
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New York Rangers Team Captain J.T. Miller Ripped The Team After Their Latest Loss
Following the loss to the Senators in which they failed to even crack double digits in total shots, Miller admitted that he and his teammates were simply outworked and outcompeted.
“Quite simply, they just outcompeted us today from the puck drop,” Miller said. “Sometimes we talk about (how) you lose the game, and you can sleep at night. You feel good on the drive home. Tonight, it shouldn’t feel good.”
The Rangers commemorated a career milestone for forward Mika Zibanejad, an original draft selection of the Senators, for appearing in his 1,000th game before the contest began, and yet instead of showing out for their teammate on his historic night, they instead provided zero pushback to Ottawa.
“We have every reason to want to play better at home this year for how much we’ve struggled,” Miller continued before then pointing the finger at himself. “Four shots through two periods. It’s Mika’s 1,000th game. You just look inward. What can I do? It’s not enough. I’m not doing enough to help my team right now as a leader.”
“For us to not win puck battles and not skate, those things are inexcusable,” Miller said. “If you just have a rough night execution wise, you can get by. But we didn’t execute. We don’t skate. We were on the end of our stick.”
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The Rangers Were Beaten By The Senators
The Senators, who are desperately trying to climb back into the playoff race, moved closer to their goal with a win over the Rangers, who provided a near nonexistent counterattack.
“We knew exactly what the game was going to be,” Miller said. “That’s a playoff-ready team. They have some unbelievable players and some guys that play a heavy game, and it was either we were going to match it, or we’re not. And we didn’t. I don’t think we had 10 shots in Mika’s 1,000th game night. These ones don’t sit well.”
It won’t be long now before New York’s season comes to a merciful conclusion.
J.T. Miller Rips Rangers After Latest Home Loss