“Maybe you wanna give me kisses sweet
But for only one night with no repeat
Maybe you’ll go away and never call
And a taste of honey is worse than none at all
In that case I don’t want no part
That would only break my heart

But if you feel like loving me
If you’ve got the notion
I second that emotion”

-Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

After a rip roaring start to this season, the Rangers are finding their level. The Rangers have gone  3 and 7 in their last ten games. After the second period of last nights game, boos rained down on the team as they left the ice. When the game was over, the disappointment was palpable. One of the guys in my section compared the season thus far to woman who is a tease.  He feels he’s been suckered in by the Rangers and then abandoned. It’s understandable.

I saw mistakes all over the ice last night. There were mistakes offensively and defensively. Even Henrik Lundqvist made mistakes. But I didn’t see apathy. I didn’t see a lack of effort.  What I did see was inconsistency. I saw tentativeness. What characterized the play of the early season, attack and puck possession has digressed into players looking to Gaborik to score the goal. It was eerily similar to the Jagr years. Unlike earlier in the season,  I don’t see other players (especially on defensive) looking to take the initiative.

Going into this season, we knew that all the new faces might translate to loses rather then wins. You’ve got to break eggs to make an omelet. People need to stop looking for someone to blame, Sather, Tortorella, Drury, Rozsival or Redden and start realizing that with so many rookies and young players, expectations after the quick start need to be adjusted. The fan base needs to put things in perspective. I especially include myself in that number.

Lately the emotions and feelings at Ranger games run the gamut. Last night I felt elation, anger, confusion and disappointment. I felt the same emotions everyone else was feeling. I cannot but believe the players feel it too, especially when they are booed. Unfortunately, the one emotion we all really need to display right about now is patience. Patience is one of the complex emotions. It is also a virtue.

Posted under New York Rangers