Rangers fail to duplicate road success at MSG, fall to 2-8-1 at home after loss to Lightning

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Rangers have an NHL-best 11 road wins, yet their play at home has been a mess by comparison.

Coming into Saturday’s game against Tampa following impressive road wins over Carolina and Boston — and a three-game winning streak overall — the Rangers reverted to home form as the surging Lightning beat New York 4-1. The loss dropped New York’s record at Madison Square Garden to 2-8-1.

The Rangers have scored just three goals total in those eight regulation defeats.

“We didn’t have our best,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said after the Lightning extended their winning streak to seven. “I’m stating the obvious.”

The Rangers haven’t had their best in the vast majority of their home contests so far. That’s a perplexing change for a team that was dominant at MSG just two seasons ago when they were 30-11-0 and finished with a league-best 114 points.

New York started this season with a 3-0 home defeat to Sullivan’s former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then they were shut out by Washington and Edmonton before managing a goal in a 3-1 loss to Minnesota on Oct. 20.

After losing 6-5 in overtime to San Jose, they were held scoreless by Carolina and the Islanders before finally winning a home game on their eighth try, 6-3 over lowly Nashville on Nov. 10. They lost 2-1 to Detroit on Nov. 16, then edged St. Louis 3-2 last Monday.

Five shutout losses in their first seven home games tied a record set by the now-defunct 1928-29 Pittsburgh Pirates.

New York’s offensive futility reached new levels against the Lightning as the Rangers were outshot 11-2 in the first period and 16-7 in the second.

“They were more willful than we were today. They were ready to go into every battle,’’ Rangers captain J.T. Miller said. “At no point in that game were we deserving of winning.”

Miller rejoined the Rangers in a much-touted trade with Vancouver on Jan. 31 and was named captain before this season. Miller replaced former captain Jacob Trouba, who was shipped to Anaheim almost a year ago during a campaign that saw the Rangers miss the playoffs.

Miller scored New York’s lone goal on Saturday, but his frustration after home defeats has been palpable.

“We did it to ourselves,’’ he said. “There was no urgency today. It’s unacceptable.”

Assistant captain Vincent Trocheck said positive focus is the only approach to take as the season progresses.

“This game is majority mental. It’s up to you to fight off the negativity,’’ he said. “It’s just a matter of us playing the right way.”

The Rangers are off Sunday before practicing Monday and then facing the potent Dallas Stars at home on Tuesday. Next weekend won’t get easier with the league-leading Colorado Avalanche visiting Saturday, followed by Vegas on Sunday.

New York plays seven of its next 10 games at home as they seek to match their road prowess on home ice.

“It’s a just about focusing on one game at a time,’’ Trocheck said.

The Rangers heard boos late in Saturday’s loss and that was not lost on Mika Zibanejad, the team’s most tenured player.

“I understand the reaction from our fans,” he said. ”We’re more frustrated than they are.”

Sullivan added that top defenseman Adam Fox would be evaluated after absorbing a hard hit during Saturday’s loss. Fox assisted on Miller’s goal and is tied for the team lead in points with 26.

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