Clinch this. Apparently, that was the message Ottawa delivered to the Rangers who suffered a disappointing 3-2 loss at MSG. Their second consecutive defeat prevented them from wrapping up a playoff berth.

Needing just a point, they didn’t play well enough collectively. Despite outshooting the Senators 43-34, the Rangers made too many mistakes and were unable to recover. Maybe it was the fact they faced a club that allowed seven unanswered goals against the Canadiens. But they weren’t ready from the get go. They played a sloppy first and fell behind 2-0 against a team playing for nothing but pride.

Henrik Lundqvist bailed them out early with some key saves. But poor coverage led directly to Mark Stone pinching in on a three on two and firing a wrist shot top shelf from 15 feet. The Senators rushed up ice with Chris Phillips and Clark MacArthur combining to set up an unchecked Stone for his third. That kind of lackadaisical play was indicative of an uneven game from the Blueshirts. Offensively speaking, they created plenty of chances but weren’t able to beat Robin Lehner early. He stopped all 16 shots including a sprawling stop to deny Rick Nash on a break in. Marty St. Louis continued to fire blanks.

If there’s an area of concern, it’s their propensity for not winning face-offs. A clean loss from Derick Brassard on a defensive draw allowed Mike Zibanejad to roam free in the slot and pick high glove on Lundqvist. Mats Zuccarello lost his check allowing Zibanejad to have all day to fire home his 16th that increased Ottawa’s lead to 2-0 at 17:23. You cannot lose a draw that cleanly and let a player get such an easy opportunity. In the playoffs, such plays are magnified. Given how their top three centers are all under 50 percent in the dot, it’s troubling. Especially when your best two are fourth line checkers Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore.

Such ineptitude along with poor execution saw the MSG hosts earn jeers when the horn sounded. I’m not one who boos but even I understood why. I could care less if Ryan McDonaugh didn’t play. They were downright awful and lethargic. There were way too many giveaways. It was inexcusable.

After an average start to the second, they finally picked it up. Zuccarello atoned for his earlier miscue by redirecting a John Moore point blast for his 18th which cut the deficit to 2-1 at 5:25. This time, Brassard won a draw and Moore’s one-timer was double deflected by Benoit Pouliot and a flying Zuccarello in front. That finally awoken a dead crowd. And by dead, I mean silent. At one point, I tried starting a “Let’s Go Rangers” chant twice in Section 419 and got crickets. Thank God for meeting three Twitter friends and then for drinks at The Flying Puck afterwards. It helped blow off steam.

When you’re having a bad game, you don’t always carry momentum forward. In this one, let’s just say our heroes were not mentally into it. They fought hard but had too many brain cramps. One of those allowed the Senators to retake a two-goal lead 3:02 following Zuccarello’s first of two. More porous play allowed Erik Karlsson to set up Jason Spezza for a wrister which Lundqvist accidentally put in with his own stick. Don’t ask. He had Spezza’s shot and then bam. It squeaked through. The defense was horrid. But definitely not one you expect from him. To be honest, he should’ve had Zibanejad’s too.

To their credit, the Rangers responded quickly with Zuccarello redirecting a Marc Staal shot from the right point for his second of the game. His 19th came from Staal and Brassard. More often than not, that line with Pouliot comes through. They’re easily the most cohesive and best on the fore-check. They’re also more dangerous on the power play than the frustrating top unit that rarely gets any shots even with St. Louis. Speaking of which, he better be saving it for the next couple of weeks. Right now, he’s snake bit.

Trailing by a goal, I kept waiting for them to tie it. It just never came. They got plenty of shots on Lehner, who finished with 41 saves to earn the victory. Not to discredit him. But he’s a backup and allowed enough rebounds. The Rangers had their chances with the best coming on a three on two with Brassard all set up. But he fanned on it. The puck was bouncing a lot throughout for both sides. Probably due to high school basketball earlier in the day. It still didn’t explain at least getting it tied and earning that point.

Most frustrating was they failed to capitalize on another Flyers loss. The Rangers have just three left while Philly has five. They remain four up for second in the division. There’s no reason they shouldn’t get four points against Carolina and Buffalo. But if Alain Vigneault wants to play Boyle out of position on just a dreadful line with St. Louis and Brad Richards, so be it. Why he didn’t replace Boyle with a better skilled player trailing by a goal late in regulation is mystifying. Would it have killed him to double shift Nash or Zuccarello? The same coach who all but buried J.T. Miller really isn’t much different from previous coaches.

Of course, everyone’s talking about Chris Neil’s hit on Staal that came with 2:47 remaining. I’ve had my issues with him in the past but it was a good hit. Yes, it came a split second late. But watch the replays and you’ll agree that it wasn’t dirty despite Lundqvist and Zuccarello’s protests. What I failed to understand is how Staal wound up with an extra minor handing Ottawa a power play which all but sealed it. Good for Staal standing up for himself. The last thing you want to see is Neil on top of him this late in the season. Zuccarello has balls and Pouliot mixed it up. But let’s face it. This team has zero toughness.

Wait till the Flyers get a hold of them. It’s why you have to cringe if that’s indeed a first round match-up. We don’t know the extent of McDonaugh’s injury. I just hope he comes back before the playoffs. The Rangers are definitely lacking in physicality and creativity. This game showed how badly they miss Chris Kreider. His size, speed and strength are huge assets. Without him, Vigneault is playing four fourth liners with one out of position. Speaking of which, why didn’t he send Daniel Carcillo and Derek Dorsett out?

The end left me with a bitter taste. You have to be a little concerned. The Rangers have the goaltending. However, the defense really struggled without McDonaugh. It was really noticeable. You know what the Flyers strategy will be. Pound away. I like our team. They have good character and are never out of a game. But in a seven-game series, it’s a different animal. Hopefully, they’ll be ready.