NEW YORK _ It felt like a "here we go again" moment.
The Rangers looked half asleep at the start of Monday's first matchup of the season against the rival Islanders, with Jordan Eberle basically walking the puck into the net for a goal within 18 seconds of puck drop.
It took two or three minutes for the Blueshirts to snap out of it. But when they did, they put in one of their most complete performances of the season.
The Rangers tightened up their defense, created offense in a variety of ways _ with Artemi Panarin involved in every goal but one _ and got a rust-free effort from goalie Alexandar Georgiev.
The result was a 6-2 win at a crucial juncture.
The Rangers have repeatedly stated that their goal is to make the playoffs, but with the trade deadline approaching _ and some difficult decisions looming _ they'll need to make something happen soon.
The players are keenly aware of it.
"We have to be able to put something together here to really make a push for playoffs," Mika Zibanejad said before the game. "If you look at every playoff team, at the end of the year, they go on some sort of run. If it's seven wins in a row, or you get a point in nine, 10 games in a row _ some kind of run that gets you climbing quicker than winning one, losing one, winning two, losing one. I think it's important for us."
Zibanejad _ who doesn't wear the "C" but whose voice carries the weight of a captain _ was visibly dejected after Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Blues in St. Louis.
With some time to reflect, he said all the right things Monday morning about "taking game it one game at a time." But he also said it's something they need to do "over and over and over again."
"It is tough because after two wins, you start feeling pretty good. And you feel like, 'All right, let's get going here,' " the 26-year-old center said. "You might not play your best hockey that night, but you've got to find a way to put you in a situation you get something out of it. ... That's something we've got to learn."
"Hopefully, it can start this week," he added. "It has to start somewhere."
