Weary, Battered Rangers Face Another Uphill Battle

There is a time when the setbacks become too much, when athletes throw their duffel bags over battered shoulders and hitch a ride home. There are other times when the loss of another teammate means simply that, and those left skating charge through the adversity.

The New York Rangers have adjusted despite season-ending injuries to Alexei Kovalev, Niklas Sundstrom and Bill Berg. Saturday, even as Patrick Flatley shuffled into the locker room like some extra in “Grumpy Old Men,” grimacing from the torn rib cartilage that will sideline him for the rest of the conference finals, his teammates pressed on. Resignation is not in the Rangers’ vocabulary.

“You never say that. I’ve never said that in 20 years,” Mark Messier said after the Rangers’ 3-1 loss Friday to the Philadelphia Flyers. “Once you say it once, it’ll be an excuse the rest of your career. It’s not a thought that goes through anybody’s mind.”

The Rangers have lost Game 1 of a playoff series nine consecutive times, but in six of the previous eight, they won the series. They dropped the first game against the Panthers and Devils in these playoffs and responded with shutouts. If this series against the Flyers is to end favorably for them, Game 2 this afternoon at CoreStates Center must be as flawless as their previous second games.

The Rangers will need greater resolve from more people. Luc Robitaille, who was driven face-first into the ice by Eric Lindros and needed 20 stitches above the left eye, did his part. He played an angry game and scored the Rangers’ only goal. Shane Churla played so much and so hard that he was left gasping. But Russ Courtnall and David Oliver were shying from contact. Some players, meanwhile, are spinning the Flatley injury into an opportunity for the players who get little ice time.

“It’s not anything different. You hope the injured guy is going to be OK and it’s nothing serious, then you turn your focus to the next game,” Leetch said. “We have players who have worked in the minors. You can’t win without everyone contributing.”