The tape for this one should be burned. The Rangers got exactly what they deserved. A lack of intensity caused them to get humiliated 6-1 on home ice by the Sabres at what sounded like a library. Or a funeral home. They gave the fans nothing to cheer about. It was as lopsided as the final score indicated.

It didn’t help matters that Igor Shesterkin had an off night. He allowed a soft call to Rasmus Dahlin just 26 seconds into the game. It didn’t get any better. He was beaten five times on a dozen shots. That included a dominant stretch by the Sabres in which they scored three straight goals over a 2:11 span during a four-goal second period explosion to chase Shesterkin. He couldn’t cover for his teammates’ mistakes.

There were again too many defensive breakdowns. It really showed in an uncompetitive second that silenced Madison Square Garden. After K’Andre Miller failed to get the puck out of the zone, Jack Quinn and Zach Benson combined to set up Dylan Cozens in the left circle for a shot that beat Shesterkin glove side to make it 2-0. After Miller lost his stick, Mika Zibanejad stood at the blue line like he was frozen and watched Cozens get into position and fire home his second of the season at 2:45.

It was another poor showing for Zibanejad, who dragged linemates Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin down. Lafreniere wasn’t much better. Even Panarin wasn’t quite himself despite recording his 800th career point on a secondary assist in the third period of a Will Cuylle goal. He only registered a single shot.

Even the Rangers’ power play was a non-factor. The Sabres successfully killed off four. As usual, most of it was due to the first unit, which overstayed shifts. They hardly tested Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen until the final one in the third when Cuylle had a Zac Jones backhand deflect off him. Lukkonen made his biggest save of the game when he robbed Chris Kreider on the doorstep to dash any hopes of a comeback.

The first period was perplexing. Following Dahlin’s goal on the opening shift, there wasn’t much going on. The Sabres used their team speed to attack the Rangers during shifts. There wasn’t much pushback. They seemed to go through the motions. That was despite holding an 8-6 edge in shots.

Ironically, the strongest shift came when Kaapo Kakko initiated contact with Bowen Byram in the corner to try to keep a forecheck alive. However, he grabbed Byram to go to the penalty box. At least he was noticeable. Most of the top six wasn’t. That included Zibanejad, who continues to be catered to by another coaching staff. He continues not to produce at five-on-five. You hardly noticed him. But he wasn’t benched. Coach Peter Laviolette decided to make an example out of Lafreniere. He was demoted to the third line and didn’t take many shifts in the final period. He finished -2 with no shots in 13:01 of ice time.

Ever since Laviolette reunited his old defensive pairs, the defense has gotten worse. Miller and Jacob Trouba were on for three goals against. Ryan Lindgren and Adam Fox were victimized on two. The only pair that held up their end of the bargain was Jones and Braden Schneider. They each were on for Cuylle’s goal and were a +1 in the loss. If Jones comes out of the lineup on Saturday, something’s wrong.

In the second, with the Rangers trailing by two, they failed to capitalize on a Beck Malenstyn delay of game minor. Kreider had the only shot which Luukonen handled easily. The second unit came out with 28 seconds left. Jones missed high off a faceoff. That was it.

Tage Thompson increased the Sabres’ lead to 3-0 with 8:21 left. On a play started in transition by Connor Clifton, he sent J.J. Peterka into the Rangers’ zone. With Reilly Smith chasing the play, Peterka fed Thompson for a high riser that beat Shesterkin. Miller and Trouba were back in coverage. Thompson beat Smith to the spot for the goal.

On the next shift, Lindgren lost a puck battle to Jason Zucker in the corner. That allowed Zucker to come out with the puck and easily find Jordan Greenway for a tap-in that made it 4-0. The goal came 30 seconds later. It was a pitiful effort from Lindgren. He looked slow. Fox didn’t bother to cover Greenway. As much criticism as Lindgren and Miller receive, Fox deserves some as well. He hasn’t looked like the same player. His skating isn’t as good. He’s getting beaten a lot more defensively. It’s becoming a growing concern.

Less than two minutes later, Peyton Krebs and Malenstyn combined to set up Sam Lafferty. After Malenstyn blew by a flatfooted Adam Edstrom, he passed across for Lafferty, who tucked in a backhand to end Shesterkin’s night. Trouba did the snow angel on the goal. It never works. I wish more players stayed on their feet.

The Sabres scored three goals on three consecutive shots. It doesn’t get any better than that. Unless you’re the Rangers. Laviolette never took his timeout. I would’ve after Thompson’s goal made it 3-0. He needed to slow down Buffalo’s momentum. At that point, Jonathan Quick came relieved Shesterkin.

When the third period began, the Rangers finally showed some signs of life. After taking a Panarin feed, Jones skated into the slot and sent a backhand towards the net with Cuylle in the area. The puck deflected off him to make it 5-1 with 15:39 remaining. It was Cuylle’s fourth of the season. He continues to be a consistent player in his second year. He stayed on a line with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck during the third.

On the very next shift, the Rangers were all over the Sabres. They had the puck on a string. It finally led to Krebs taking a hooking minor. That sent them to the power play. If they’d scored there, things could’ve gotten interesting. Kreider was all set up in front. But Luukonen made a clutch pad save to deny him of a sure goal. He was that close to making it a 5-2 game.

With the power play winding down, Jones made a nice move around the net to find an open Kakko in front. But he somehow missed high and wide. All Kakko had to do was hit the net. Finishing plays doesn’t come easy for him. It was a golden opportunity. The Sabres survived the Rangers’ best punch.

On a play in the neutral zone, Sam Carrick boarded Malenstyn from behind. It was a bad penalty. Kreider took a similar one back in the first period. Carrick’s penalty proved costly. Alex Tuch sent Jack Quinn into the zone. He then found Zach Benson all alone for a tap-in that made it 6-1 with 8:05 remaining.

In a rarity for the Sabres, all 12 forwards recorded at least a point. It was the first time that happened since Jan. 17, 1994 when they defeated the Capitals 7-2. Congrats to the Rangers on helping the Sabres make history. At least they accomplished something.

I listened to some of Laviolette’s postgame on MSG Network. I didn’t agree with his assessment. While they didn’t give up as many high danger chances, like the past couple of games, the defense again struggled. He was correct in his assertion that his team didn’t go after the Sabres’ defense enough. They didn’t attack until they were down five goals in the third period. Not to mention Buffalo had a sixth goal wiped out due to the play being offside.

It was a lousy game. They performed as badly as Kamala Harris did on Election Night. They had three days off. Trouba felt like they weren’t prepared from the get-go. How is that possible? One team was skating and winning battles all over the ice. The other was a half-step behind and chasing the game. There isn’t anything else to say.