After 18 games, the Rangers are NHL .500 (7-7-4) sitting fourth in the Metropolitan Division. They head into tomorrow’s Rivalry Night showdown against the Flyers having won only twice in November. With a record of 2-3-4, they have recorded eight of a possible 18 points. That’s included home humiliations to the Oilers and Lightning. At least they got points in four shootout losses.

While it’s true they’re still without top defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who is skating, it doesn’t explain their inconsistent play. Too often, they’ve been sloppy with the puck and blown assignments. During last night’s 5-1 drubbing, Martin St. Louis was a minus-four despite scoring on the power play. He was far from alone with Derick Brassard and Rick Nash each minus-three. The blueline was no better with Marc Staal and Dan Girardi each minus-two with the latter losing a battle against Ryan Callahan that led to the former Ranger captain’s first goal. John Moore was atrocious but that’s understandable since he isn’t that good to begin with.

Henrik Lundqvist didn’t distinguish himself. He’s paid the big money to stop breakaways like the one he gave up to Nikita Kucherov. The one he allowed to Steven Stamkos was on Nash, who made a poor choice. Lundqvist’s play has mimicked his team. It’s been choppy. Despite having three shutouts, he’s 7-5-3 with a 2.68 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. With Hank, he always takes responsibility. He knows he must be better.

“Yeah, I’m concerned but we just have to keep talking about it and practicing and believe in each other and stay positive,” Lundqvist told Andrew Gross. “We know it’s there. We showed it but again to be in the race and to be on the right side of where you want to be you have to be consistent. You can’t have one good one and one bad one.”

“It’s our play with the puck, making the right decisions. Then it’s our play away from the puck, seeing extra guys coming in and making the reads on the rush. And sometimes just battle level,” a critical Girardi said. “We’re all over the place. Sometime we’ll have a bunch of shifts where we compete and a bunch of shifts where we stand around and let teams run around us. We’ve got to get our stuff together here.”

One of the most damning quotes came from St. Louis. He made a valid point emphasizing how he didn’t know how they could take this loss. He was mostly talking about the lack of effort. Just listening to him on last night’s postgame, you could tell he took it pretty hard. It was his first game versus his former team. He felt they did too much watching. Something echoed by Dan Boyle.

“I think, defensively, we need to be stronger to play against. Just because we’ve got one of the best goalies doesn’t mean we can give up that many chances. When you’re spending 90 percent of the shift defending, you’re not going to have much going the other way. We’ve got to flip that around,” the former Lightning defenseman stated.

Right now, there are too many passengers. Did Chris Kreider even play? The scoresheet says he took 21 shifts and logged 15:51. Somehow, he didn’t have a shot. He’s far from alone. The Rangers as a team only had 16. However, there have been too many instances where Kreider hasn’t been noticeable. The second-year forward is better than four goals and six assists in 18 games. He only has 26 hits. He must start taking the body and get back to what worked last season. His return in the playoffs was instrumental.

Mats Zuccarello was one of the few who competed Monday. He was in on the forecheck and delivered a team-leading four hits. He also wasn’t on for a goal against. Neither was Stepan, who had another good night on faceoffs winning 10 of 17. As for Zuccarello, three goals and five helpers in 16 games doesn’t cut it. They need more production.

Another player who can perform better is Brassard. It’s not the offense as he ranks second with 15 points. It’s the other aspects. Brassard has had more than his share of responsibility for not picking up his man. He is a team worst minus-eight. No longer a third line center, he’s seeing better opposition. I don’t mind when he looks for offense because it’s part of the job. But that doesn’t mean he can’t get back.

I’d like to see better point production from Carl Hagelin. The four goals and three assists are okay considering who he plays with. However, he’s a top nine forward capable of contributing more. It isn’t easy playing with a first-year player in Kevin Hayes who’s being asked to play a new position. Hayes is growing and shows you glimpses. With Vigneault still keeping Anthony Duclair around, it’s a work in progress. You gotta love Duclair’s compete level. Just wish it would result in offense.

For as much criticism as Tanner Glass gets, he is what he is. A role player who brings energy, physicality and kills penalties. Does he go for hits too much at the expense of the puck? Absolutely. There was one instance last night where I cringed because it led to a chance. But the D recovered and Lundqvist made an easy stop. If we’re spending our time focusing on Glass, something’s wrong. Dominic Moore has been okay with five helpers but could use a goal. Lee Stempniak has been a constant. He can play third or fourth line and not miss a beat. He’s day-to-day which means Jesper Fast probably returns tomorrow.

Defensively, the Rangers can be better. In 12 of their 18 games, they’ve allowed three goals-or-more including at least five in five defeats. That isn’t Ranger hockey. Not one player has been consistent. Girardi and Staal have their moments but then have clunkers like yesterday. When Kevin Klein is your most consistent defenseman, that’s not a good sign. Honestly, Matt Hunwick has outplayed John Moore. The vet was an afterthought when Glen Sather signed him. But he’s given Vigneault solid minutes and even contributed offensively with six assists. How many times does Moore leave you wondering? He turns 24 tomorrow and shouldn’t be given up on. In order to stay in the lineup, he must show improvement.

When they return to MSG Wednesday, backup Cam Talbot gets the call. He hasn’t won yet allowing 12 goals on 100 shots. Part of it has been the team in front of him. But Talbot must step up against a bitter rival and prove he can get the job done. You don’t want a situation like New Jersey. Lundqvist can’t play every game. It’s not conducive over the long haul. As a team, they need more consistency. They’re only making it harder on themselves. With three games over the next five days, we’ll have a better idea.