Rangers Watch: TAM 5, NYR 3

The injury depleted Rangers faced off against the league's worst road team (2nd worst overall), Tampa Bay Lightning. New York got off to a quick start but then proceed to bungle most of the first two periods, allowing four unanswered goals, three of which can hardly be attributed to Henrik Lundqvist.

The Lightning gave the Blueshirts every chance to crawl back into it. A series of bad penalties beginning late in the second period cut the lead to one on the back of two Rangers power play goals. Despite a slew of PP time, including a 5 on 3, the game tying tally eluded New York.

Consistency has been a larger problem for the Rangers this season than their lack of scoring. New York looked lost tonight and didn't manage to pull it together until they were gifted five power plays. If the Rangers could play 60 minutes of solid hockey as often as the Lightning collapse in the third period, they'd be at the head of the Eastern Conference. Instead, New York risks seeing their playoff hopes slide slowly and frustratingly away.

Recaps: Y!/AP, TSN Broadband