A pair of duds coming out of the All-Star break has Rangers coach Alain Vigneault considering making some changes heading into Saturday's game against the Hurricanes at the Garden.
"I'm contemplating that right now," Vigneault said after practice on Friday. "Any time you don't get the desired results as a coaching staff, you always analyze the personnel individually and collectively."
The results from the last two games include just one late, meaningless goal in the waning moments against the Islanders and a shutout by the Canadiens' Carey Price on Thursday — not the way the Blueshirts wanted to start a four-game homestand. That's one of the reasons why Vigneault wanted to wait, perhaps until Saturday, to decide on who will play where.
Still, one of the recent culprits, Martin St. Louis, isn't prepared to panic just yet.
"Can we produce more chances? Absolutely," St. Louis said. "But I saw some good things [Thursday] night. You're just not going to score all the time, no matter what you do. You're going to go through stretches like this."
St. Louis is going through one of those stretches right now. Since notching goals in back-to-back games on Jan. 8 and 10, St. Louis hasn't found the back of the net in seven straight matches.
"You look at a game like Montreal, the game was so tight," he said. "It's not so much what you get, it's what you give, so you play cautious. We're fine playing those games. I thought we stayed pretty patient, we just didn't get that goal."
The Rangers have scored more than three goals only once in their last eight games, which coincides with the end of their five-game winning streak.
"It's just a matter of us getting inside more," St. Louis said. "In the Islanders' game, we had shots, but too many were from the outside. There weren't enough quality chances. We got inside more and had some tips against Montreal."
But no goals — and another loss.
It's not the first time St. Louis has had a rough time since joining the Rangers less than a year ago.
"We had a lot of adversity last season," St. Louis said of the team's run to the Stanley Cup Final. "When I got here at the trade deadline, I felt this team was built for the playoffs. I still feel that way and that winning streak we had before the break was a good sign."
But the Rangers continue to be in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference.
"We have what it takes to give ourselves another chance in the playoffs," St. Louis said. "But we can't just dwell on the past or rely on what we've done before. It's a new year. You have to make your own history with your own team and that's what we're trying to do now."
Last-place Carolina has played well recently, something Vigneault made sure his team was aware of on Friday.
And Vigneault, like St. Louis, insists he has seen some positive signs.
"I think our process in the last few games, other than the first period on Long Island … has been good offensively and defensively," Vigneault said. "We've been playing well without the puck. … The last couple of games have been a little bit more challenging. I've got a lot of faith and confidence in this group."
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