One step forward. Two steps back. That sums up how the New York Rangers have been going for the last six weeks. After coming back to defeat the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 21, they blew a two-goal lead in the third period – falling to the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday night in San Jose.

It concluded a disappointing 1-2-1 road trip. The only win came thanks to a third period rally over the Ducks. In the three losses, the Rangers scored only four goals. They opened the four-game road trip with a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Then, they were defeated 2-1 by the Los Angeles Kings. Aside from a four goal barrage against the Ducks, the Rangers’ offense was underwhelming.

The continued over reliance on the Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere line at even strength isn’t enough to win consistently. Neither is throwing their eggs all in one basket when it comes to the first power play unit that features Panarin, Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Adam Fox.

Although they scored twice against Anaheim, the power play has become stale. They went 0-for-3 against the Sharks last night. That included a man-advantage late in regulation with the game tied at two. The Rangers failed to register a shot. It was mostly the top unit that failed to capitalize on a penalty Jimmy Vesey drew with under six minutes left in regulation. There was too much passing and not enough shooting. The same problems that plagued the power play last season.

When opponents know what’s coming, it makes it easier to defend against the Rangers’ five-on-four. The biggest difference is Panarin’s willingness to take open shots. His nine power-play goals are tied with both Kreider and Trocheck for the team lead. However, there’s still too many instances when they tend to force passes across for Zibanejad in the left dot. With four right-handed shots, they can get predictable.

It doesn’t help matters that Zibanejad can’t seem to hit the net. His struggles are hurting the team. For the season, he has 15 goals in 46 games. The breakdown is seven at even strength, seven on the power play, and one shorthanded. That he has such a low number when the Rangers play at even strength is a big concern. Zibanejad needs to do a better job at five-on-five. He’s counted on for production. Unless something is wrong, it doesn’t make sense that he’s not scoring goals.

Throughout the season, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has stuck with his line combinations. It’s only during games that he’ll occasionally adjust the lines if things aren’t going well. Still without Filip Chytil (concussion), who’s set to return to New York after progressing back home in the Czech Republic, the Rangers have had less offense from the third and fourth lines. It’s challenging to score goals when Nick Bonino is playing mostly as the third center while Jonny Brodzinski is anchoring the fourth line.

Laviolette prefers to use Bonino’s line for matchups against opponents’ best scoring units. It’s usually Bonino between Barclay Goodrow and Vesey. However, Laviolette tried Tyler Pitlick in place of Bonino against the Kings.

Brodzinski plays with Will Cuylle and Blake Wheeler. They’re really supposed to be the third line, but that’s not how they’re used. The trio were effective in the win over the Ducks thanks to their willingness to create chances off the forecheck. Cuylle had a big game-tying goal on a deflection of a Jacob Trouba shot. He plays with lots of energy and physicality. Something the Rangers need more of in an otherwise vanilla lineup. There isn’t enough size or grit. That makes them vulnerable against tougher opponents.

After making an impact on Sunday night with his eighth goal and drawing a penalty that led to Panarin’s game-winner, Cuylle only received 11 shifts and 9:52 of ice time against the Sharks. Make it make sense. He’s a player who consistently plays hard. Cuylle isn’t shy about throwing his weight around. He leads the Rangers in hits with 125, which also paces all NHL rookies this season. He’s a player who plays aggressively on the forecheck and makes things happen. Why isn’t he playing more? That’s best left for the coach to explain.

At one point, Cuylle was part of the second power play unit. He was a good fit due to his willingness to crash the net. If he’s open, he’ll take the shot. Why should Wheeler play over him? He’s clearly at the end of his career. That isn’t a critique. He plays an honest game. But the wheels aren’t there anymore. Wheeler should just be used at even strength as a role player.

There’s also the question of why won’t Laviolette consider changing the power play. Zibanejad isn’t getting it done. How about making a switch. Move Lafreniere onto the first unit. He supplies more grit and is another lefty shot who can one-time the puck from the right side. It would be a new wrinkle for opponents to deal with.

Move Zibanejad down to the second unit. It could provide better balance. They’re not used enough. Perhaps it could provide a spark for Zibanejad, who at times tends to overthink things. Erik Gustafsson stays on the point. Keep Brodzinski on it. Kaapo Kakko and Cuylle would fill it out. Featuring Zibanejad would mean not having the top unit out for so long. They overstay their shifts. A similar issue they had under former coach Gerard Gallant.

While it’s easy to point out most of the success for the Rangers’ second ranked power play (28.1 percent) is due to the established stars, they haven’t been as effective lately. It can’t always be the same players doing most of the heavy lifting. There needs to be a better balance. There’s enough time left in the season to fix it. The Rangers can’t succeed unless the scoring depth improves.

There’s also the defense. It’s easy to see that K’Andre Miller hasn’t been the same player since the New Year. He’s committed too many mistakes and been caught on for goals against. He and Trouba have had their games slip. Trouba had a brutal night at San Jose. He turned over pucks and was bailed out by Igor Shesterkin.

Maybe Laviolette should consider altering his defensive pairs. Fox and Ryan Lindgren haven’t been consistent either. It might not hurt to try splitting the top four up. Gustafsson had a bad giveaway that led to a Nico Sturm goal early in the third period last night. The Sharks tied the game when one-time Ranger Ryan Carpenter tipped in a Jan Rutta shit off a faceoff.

Gustafsson has good possession numbers. However, he’s had a few hiccups recently. If he’s banged up, then they should sit him. Zac Jones can step in and play on the third pair with Braden Schneider. Jones can also fill in on the second power play unit.

There’s only two games left before the All-Star break. The Rangers host the Golden Knights this Friday, Jan. 26. They then visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Jan. 27. Their next game won’t be until Feb. 5 versus the Colorado Avalanche.

It’s time for Laviolette to make some adjustments to his struggling team.