OTTAWA — It is one game, but it is also seven.
Though Alain Vigneault won’t overreact to the Rangers’ sleepy and sloppy performance in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to the Senators in Game 1 of Round 2 because that is simply not his way, it is incumbent upon the coach to find the way to jump-start a handful of key forwards who essentially have been MIA since the tournament commenced.
That includes Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes and Derek Stepan, who combined for 84 goals during the regular season, but have amassed the loneliest number of one goal in the playoffs: the Stepan empty-netter that sealed the series win over Montreal.