Every game, every season and every team has a turning point, for better or for worse.
For the Rangers on Saturday night, it was Connor Mackey dropping the gloves with Senators captain Brady Tkachuk after the AHL call-up upended Ottawa’s darling third-overall pick, Tim Stützle, in the second period.
The Senators were up 2-0 at that point and there was Mackey, who got up at 5:45 Saturday morning after the Wolf Pack’s game in Cleveland and took two flights to get to Ottawa in time for his Rangers debut, answering the bell.
It fired up the Blueshirts bench and led to seven unanswered goals.
The notion that Mackey’s fight could do for the Rangers what captain Jacob Trouba’s helmet toss on Dec. 3, 2022 did for the 2022-23 team is a bit unfair — strictly due to the fact that Mackey was immediately returned to Hartford on Sunday.
But if the Rangers don’t change course upon their return from the All-Star break, someone will have to take the initiative to send a louder message.
“There’s messages sent every day,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “From, could be a player, could be a guy like Troubs, it could be myself. There’s meetings every day. There’s messages every day. Nothing goes unchecked with regard to that. We’ll continue to fight together and work together as a team and move forward.”
The Rangers were 11-10-5 after the loss against Chicago last season in which Trouba took it upon himself to finish his checks on anybody in his way before tussling with ex-Blackhawks forwards Jujhar Khaira and Jonathan Toews. Trouba hurled his helmet and screamed “Wake up!” at the Rangers bench on his way off the ice.
As memorable as it was to see this usually goofy and light-hearted player explode in frustration as his team trailed 3-0, the emotion Trouba displayed in his post-game interview that night deserves some credit as well.
“Something has to change,” Trouba said at the time with his voice wavering in his throat. “I think there needs to be a little bit more of a pushback from ourselves within.”
The Rangers went 36-12-8 the rest of the way, including a seven-game win streak immediately after.
Those types of moments take initiative, just like how Mackey delivered on Laviolette’s challenge to the Rangers bench to get more physical Saturday night.
Despite the fact that they are still holding onto sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division standings, the Rangers don’t want their season-altering moment to come too late or not at all.
Laviolette, by the way, is certainly a candidate to spark the match that lights the fire under the Rangers.
Part of the appeal of Laviolette when he was hired was the fact that he’s known to be capable of motivating teams.
Pushing the right buttons on this Rangers team is tricky, but can be effective when executed properly.
Who hasn’t seen Laviolette’s iconic, profanity-laced intermission speech to the Flyers on HBO’s 24/7 in 2011?
“I want to see people rip their heart out of their f–king chest this period,” a furious Laviolette said. “And if you don’t, you’re probably not going to like your ice time.”
Certain players on the Rangers sure have seen it, so it wouldn’t be an unexpected display for Laviolette.
The Rangers know something has to change with 33 games left in the regular season.
If it doesn’t soon, however, someone is going to have to take it upon themselves.
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