Rangers trying to outrun reminder of last seasons offensive struggles

The Rangers have taken significant strides in their overall defensive game, but adverse trends on the other side of the puck have lingered. Despite carrying a respectable 2.80 goals per game average into Monday’s game against the Ducks, the Blueshirts have suffered stretches — including games at a time — of complete disconnect on offense.It’s a pattern that plagued last season’s team greatly.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.

Limited to one goal in their previous two losses, the Rangers had only scored twice through their four losses, half of which were shutout defeats. “Obviously, our last two games, I don’t think we’ve been at our best,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after morning skate on Monday.“I thought we fought hard, we played hard in Columbus.

I don’t think we were at our best in Columbus, but I thought we competed hard.And give Columbus credit, they played a pretty stingy game.

They’re not easy to play against.The Jersey game, for me, that’s a hard one to rationalize.

The last couple games, when you combine them as six periods, it’s not a great picture.I’d like to think we’re better than that, and we have been better than that for a lot of the year.

It reflects in the record that the group has. “Are we satisfied with what we’re generating offensively? No.Do we think there’s another level to it? Yes, we do.” The Rangers were shut out a league-high 10 times last season and set a franchise record with seven shutout losses at Madison Square Garden, a reflection of multiple individual players underachieving and the team’s inability to operate as a five-man unit most games. Whether it’s a teamwide trudge to generate offense or an individual inability to finish, the Rangers have consistently struggled to give their goaltenders goal support in recent years. The 1-0 overtime loss in Columbus ser...