BUFFALO — This was just another end-of-the-season performance from the Rangers.
After an uninspired first 20 minutes that led to getting outplayed for a majority of the night, the Blueshirts turned it on in the third period and scored the game-tying goal with 10:15 left in regulation to force overtime and secure at least one point.
That was all they got, however, as the Sabres’ Jeff Skinner scored 1:49 into the extra period to hand the Rangers a 3-2 loss Friday night at KeyBank Center.
That was probably all they deserved, too.
“Typical,” head coach Gerard Gallant scoffed when asked about his team’s start.
“We clinched a week ago and it seems like we clinched and the season’s over. It’s not the way it’s supposed to work.”
The Rangers’ urgency level appears to be the same as a college senior in his or her second semester.
There’s no question this time of year can be tough to get up for.
The Rangers already have clinched a playoff spot and are sitting pretty comfortably in third place in the Metropolitan Division standings with an 11-point cushion on the Islanders.
Staying healthy may be the No. 1 priority, but these are valuable tune-up games that should be treated as such.
The Rangers seem to just want to get through them until the real game action begins on April 17.
“I think that was kind of our problem at the start of the year maybe a little bit, too,” said Adam Fox, who scored the game-tying tally in the third. “You come off a playoff run and you just want to get back to that, but you’ve got to play 82 games. We’re still fighting for seeding here and these games are important. Points matter throughout the year, all 82 games.
“You can kind of look ahead and get a little excited, a little ahead of yourself, but we still have some business to take care of.”
Similarly to the Devils the night before, when the Rangers lost 2-1, the Sabres appeared to want it more.
The Rangers didn’t look dialed in until the third period.
They exploded for 21 shots in the final 20 minutes in comparison to the Sabres’ nine, which led to Fox jamming home the equalizer to knot the game at two-all.
Such has been a trend for the Rangers in recent weeks.
Whether they’re snagging the lead in the third or defending it, the Rangers have been pretty efficient at closing out opponents.
That may be diminishing their concerns over their poor starts, since they’re able to get back into games, but the Rangers better be careful.
These final regular-season games may be meaningless in essence, but it’s not a time to be creating bad habits.
Falling behind early has become just that for the Rangers, who trailed after the opening 20 minutes for the fourth time in their last five games Friday.
Over these last five contests, the Rangers have been outscored 8-3 and outshot 62-33 in the first frame.
It’s true, they’ve posted a 3-1-1 record despite this, but it’s not a trait the Rangers will want to carry into the postseason.
On top of it all, the Rangers faced Sabres rookie goalie Devon Levi, who showed real poise in his NHL debut with 31 saves.
Every single one was met with a thunderous applause and the chanting of his name from KeyBank Center. The 21-year-old Northeastern product reveled in it.
The Rangers did give Levi his “Welcome to the NHL” moment, however, when the Kid Line cut the Sabres’ lead 2-1 at 12:17 of the second period.
But Levi didn’t see his first official NHL shot until over halfway through the first period.
That is the root of the Rangers current problem.
Maybe the Rangers are looking ahead to the playoffs. Maybe these games really don’t mean anything.
Two things are for certain: The postseason hasn’t started yet. And the Rangers need to realize that.