"It isn't all bad that the Rangers have stumbled a bit lately, isn't all bad for the players to face a bit of adversity, and it isn't bad at all for management to be exposed to the flaws that must be corrected with 17 games to go until the Feb. 27 deadline, beginning with tonight's match at the Garden against the Predators.

The sky hasn't fallen, but in losing two of the last three, 3-0 to the Senators at home on Thursday and 4-1 in the Montreal House of Horrors on Sunday, the Blueshirts neglected to apply their signature of relentlessness and structure that has generally appeared on the bottom line of the season."