The New York Rangers will play the second game of their three-game road trip versus the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night, but they likely did not travel in good spirits after a tough stretch before the Christmas break.

Last season’s Eastern Conference runners-up were humming along following a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 19, climbing to a 12-4-1 record.

Since that victory, New York has slipped into a 4-13-0 chasm behind disheartened play and a punchless offense, dragging it out of playoff position.

Over 17 games, all ending in regulation, the opposition has pounded the reeling Rangers with a 61-35 scoring differential.

In the Hudson River Rivalry on Monday in New Jersey, the Rangers were smacked down 5-0 by the Devils and mocked in the process.

The home side showed big-screen footage of Rangers fans jeering New Jersey’s selection of No. 1 overall Jack Hughes during the 2019 draft, allowing New York to choose with the next pick fan favorite Kaapo Kakko, who was traded to the Seattle Kraken last week.

The camera then cut to a chuckling Hughes on the Devils’ bench.

“I’m not opposed to making more changes,” Rangers general manager Chris Drury said after shipping captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 7. “But big picture, the team has been through a lot the last couple of weeks. We’d like to let the dust settle a little bit.”

New dust could stir up, though: Eight of the next nine on the schedule held playoff spots at the break.

Artemi Panarin leads New York in goals (15) and points (37), but crucial contributors are lagging.

Chris Kreider (11 goals, one assist) was scratched against New Jersey, fueling trade speculation. Mika Zibanejad has six tallies and practiced with the top power-play unit Friday.

Conversely, the Lightning reached the hiatus on a high note, avoiding a two-game losing streak against the in-state rival Florida Panthers with a bounce-back 4-0 road shutout Monday behind backup goaltender Jonas Johansson’s 36 saves.

Tampa Bay had suffered a 4-2 beatdown on home ice Sunday, watching a disastrous display on special teams as Florida netted a power-play goal and two short-handed ones on the same penalty kill.

However, the Lightning rebounded nicely, getting a man-advantage goal from Mitchell Chaffee and a shorty from Brandon Hagel while holding Florida goal-less on four power plays.

In stopping nine power-play shots, Johansson crafted his fourth career shutout in 68 games.

Coach Jon Cooper said Johansson’s play has carried over since October 2023, when he was the starter and kept the crease for six weeks while No. 1 backstop Andrei Vasilevskiy was rehabbing from back surgery.

Now playing every fifth game or so like he did most of last season, he has rediscovered his routine.

“He settled into his role when Vasi came back,” Cooper said of Johansson, who is 4-1-1 with a .902 save percentage in seven appearances (six starts). “He has a unique gift of being able to hang in there and not play seven or 10 games and give you a good one. Those guys are hard to find.”

Vasilevskiy (15-10-1, 2.41 goals-against, .911) should start against New York.

Nikita Kucherov reached a club-high 50 points with a goal Monday, giving the right wing 21 points in 10 of his past 11 games (four goals, 17 assists).

–Field Level Media