The New York Rangers entered the 2013 season with Stanley Cup expectations after being the top team in the East one season ago, but the team has been struggling during the lockout-shortened schedule and could miss the playoffs if they don't shape up.
The team is more than halfway through the season and head coach John Tortorella was upset after a loss against the Buffalo Sabres, saying he was "disgusted" by the play of the team. The Sabres entered the game on a losing streak and had been playing poorly and were primed to be beaten.
"We suck, and we suck at a time we can't suck," Tortorella told reporters in Buffalo. "So we have to get it straightened out. I don't know what else to tell you."
Tortorella was not quite about his opinion and he called out several players, including Marian Gaborik, who he stashed on the third line after some disappointing shifts. Rick Nash has been hot since returning from injury, but he is the only one, as the 3-1 loss to Buffalo was punctuated by the fact that team was 3-5-2 in their previous 10 games.
The Rangers had a 1-0 lead early, but they allowed Buffalo to get back in it and could not add another goal.
"I couldn't be more disgusted and disappointed with the way our top guys played, with the way we handled ourselves through it," Tortorella said. "That team was ripe to be beaten and we simply did not play the way we're supposed to play."
The Rangers need stars Gaborik, Brad Richards and Rick Nash to play better and more consistently if the team wants to make a playoff run and they need to score more than the 2.5 per game they average. Things have been good in net, but the power play and the scoring must improve.
"I have to play better," Gaborik said. "I need to be more consistent. The goals haven't been going [in] for me, so I have to keep working hard."
The team is just 13-10-2 with 28 points and is third behind the Penguins and the Devils in the division. The team currently holds the eighth playoff spot in a tie breaker with the Jets.