Rangers fans boo team following home loss to Blackhawks

Things appear to be turning sour in the Big Apple, with New York Rangers fans reaching their breaking point with the team.

Three days after trading captain Jacob Trouba to Anaheim, the Rangers lost for the second straight day — 2-1 at home to the league-worst Chicago Blackhawks. This time, the underperforming squad heard boos multiple times from the crowd at Madison Square Garden where New York has lost eight of 15 games this season.

"We’re not feeling great about that – for sure,’’ said Artemi Panarin, New York’s leading scorer who was held without a point by his former team on Monday. “We’ve got to play better so we don’t hear that anymore.”

The Blackhawks — who hadn’t won a game away from home in more than five weeks — played a solid road game featuring crisp execution, stout defence and minimal mistakes. The Rangers took 30 shots and managed just a short-handed goal by Will Cuylle against backup goalie Arvid Soderblom, who came in 1-6-1.

Speaking after the game, head coach Peter Laviolette didn't have a problem with the response from fans after a tough loss for his team.

"It's frustrating, so I get it. And deservedly so," Laviolette told reporters after the game. "When your pace should be at a high level and your execution should be at a high level, I get it. It's frustration."

It was the second-straight game New York was beaten by a second-string goaltender following Sunday’s 7-5 loss to Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer in a game in which they squandered a 3-1 lead.

“The execution was off all night. Could be fatigue. Could be mental. Could be anything,’’ Laviolette said. “Regardless, it’s unacceptable. We've got to be better than that. You’re not going to win hockey games if you can’t execute.”

It's been a chaotic stretch for the Rangers, with general manager Chris Drury making it clear to teams across the league that they are interested in making moves to shake up the roster. Since that point, New York has gone 2-6.

Drury already made one major move, unloading captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, ending a rough stretch where the defenceman was a fixture in trade rumours for months.

New York’s star goaltender Igor Shesterkin — whose eight-year, $92 million contract extension was announced on Saturday — is 9-10-1 with six losses in his last seven decisions.

“The only answers are going to come from that room,'' Laviolette said. ”We’ve got to be better than we were tonight.”

For 33-year-old forward Chris Kreider, the most senior Ranger, a potential answer exists in the bringing the right mindset and producing sustained effort. New York visits Buffalo on Wednesday before returning home to face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

“We have get back to work and show we can play the right way,'' he said. “And we have to do that for 60 minutes.”

To add to the Rangers' problems, Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer showed frustration with a New York Post report indicating the Rangers would target Senators captain Brady Tkachuk as a trade target, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Monday. Andlauer called the report about Tkachuk "soft tampering."

The Rangers released a statement, which read: "This is an irresponsible accusation and we defer to the commissioner's office."

The accusations come one month after deputy commissioner Bill Daly warned the league’s GMs about tampering at a meeting in Toronto. On Nov. 25, all teams were sent a detailed memo reminding everyone about the rules in place and penalties for violations. 

It's been a tough time for the Rangers, who captured the Presidents' Trophy last season and currently sit in the second wild-card spot with a cluster of teams trailing right behind them.

--With files from Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and the Associated Press.