On the calendar Rangers fans received in the early weeks of 2015, December’s page has Carl Hagelin and Rick Nash decked out in blue and all smiles.
That image is jarring now. Hagelin and Nash are no longer teammates, and there has not been much to smile about in December for either player.
Entering Tuesday’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Rangers have only three wins in their last 14 games and have been abysmal defensively, allowing 17 goals in their last three games without the injured defensemen Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein. Nash, who led the Rangers with 42 goals a season ago, has 10 this season, and like many of his teammates, is searching for the offense that led the Rangers to the league’s best record last season.