If you took time out of your day to watch the Rangers play like a bunch of chickens, it was a total waste. A disgraceful first period cost the stumbling Rangers in a 3-1 loss to the Flyers on Black Friday. They’ve now lost five consecutive games in regulation.

Just how bad were they. It looked like they were hungover from the tryptophan on Thanksgiving. The Flyers repeatedly used their superior speed and skating to wreak havoc on Igor Shesterkin. If not for Shesterkin, it would have been 5-0 after 20 minutes. He stopped 13 of 15 shots in a lifeless period when his teammates couldn’t be bothered to give any effort.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers had 10 high danger chances to only two for the Rangers in the first. They were a couple of steps ahead of a very sluggish team that struggled to even get through the neutral zone. It looked like the keystone cops.

After Shesterkin foiled Bobby Brink on a breakaway, he converted another one to put the Flyers up 1-0. On an offensive draw, Adam Fox had a shot blocked. With Fox scrambling back, Tyson Foerster fed a wide-open Brink for his fourth at 3:14. He easily beat Ryan Lindgren for the goal.

Just over a minute later, Travis Konecny danced around Jacob Trouba to score his team-leading 12th for the Flyers. Rasmus Ristolainen and Sean Couturier combined to send Konecny in alone to beat Shesterkin. K’Andre Miller got caught flatfooted, leaving only Trouba to defend the play. He was too slow on the switch, allowing Konecny an easy path to the net where he made it 2-0.

It was so poorly defended that there was plenty of reaction from critics on social media. Even Larry Brooks called out Trouba for the goal, basically insinuating that the captain had checked out. Considering what he’s dealt with since last summer and now with the teflon general manager leaking that both Trouba and Chris Kreider are available for trade along with a host of others, he looks like he has one foot out the door. Chris Drury turned Trouba into a lame duck captain. Everyone knows that once the season concludes, he’s gone.

By creating a toxic work environment, Drury is the biggest reason for this mess. There’s a total disconnect between the players and the coach. Peter Laviolette is an easy target right now. He’s tried to bandage a declining blue line together. Nothing’s worked. He reunited Lindgren with Fox. Both now are slow players, with Fox looking as if he hasn’t recovered from the knee injury he suffered against the Capitals last first round. Miller and Trouba can’t play together anymore. They are one of the worst defensive pairs in the league.

The only tandem that works well together is Zac Jones and Braden Schneider. After being outshot 15-4 in a lopsided first period, Laviolette finally split up Jones and Schneider. He took my suggestion. Jones was with Trouba. Schneider worked with Miller. Lindgren and Fox remained intact.

There still were issues with the defense. But the Flyers never could get that all-important third goal. Eventually, the Rangers settled down for the remainder of the game. Boosted by Laviolette tweaking the lines, they finally resembled a team that competed much harder. Unlike the end of the first when Artemi Panarin had three Flyers around him without any help from teammates, who stood and watched him stick up for himself, they showed a pulse.

On a good play from Schneider at the blue line, he moved the puck for Will Cuylle. Given time and space, he found an open Vincent Trocheck in the slot for his fifth goal at 10:20. That ended a six-game pointless streak. It was Trocheck’s first goal in seven games. His last came against the Sharks on Nov. 14. His struggles have been well documented. Dating back to Oct. 29, he hasn’t recorded a single assist since. In November, he only has three goals. Mika Zibanejad’s lackluster play has overshadowed Trocheck’s. With neither center playing consistently, it explains why offense has been hard to come by.

Ever since Filip Chytil collided with Miller to go down with a mysterious upper-body injury on Nov. 14, the Rangers have fallen apart. Chytil was their best center. His game-breaking speed and skill drove play. He missed his seventh straight game yesterday. After winning the first two games on a four-game Western swing, the Rangers are 2-5-0 without Chytil. In the five losses since defeating the Kraken and Canucks, they’ve been outscored 21-10 by opponents.

Making matters worse, the Blueshirts didn’t earn a single power play on Friday afternoon. They’ve now gone seven consecutive games without a power-play goal. For a team that is so dependent on special teams, it’s easy to explain why they’re losing games. They continue to get outplayed and outshot by opponents at even strength. Not counting Konecny’s empty netter, the Flyers held a 34-23 edge in shots.

Even though they improved over the final two periods, there were still instances when the Rangers refused to shoot the puck. MSG radio analyst Dave Maloney called out Alexis Lafreniere during the second period for passing up a wide-open shot. Instead, he tried a low percentage pass in the middle of the ice that got intercepted.

If you’re searching for positives, only a handful of players deserve kudos. That would be Cuylle, who continues to excel due to the style he plays. His growth as a player in Year 2 is commendable. He really does look like a younger version of Tom Wilson. A player he patterns his game after. His unique combination of skating, skill, and grit make him a budding power forward. Cuylle will always finish every check and be a pest in front of the net for opponents to deal with. With a primary helper on the Trocheck goal, he’s up to 19 points, which ranks second in team scoring behind Panarin.

Brett Berard continued to impress since being called up. He finished the game with three shots, five attempts, and three hits in 19 shifts (14:52). The speed with which he plays makes him fun to watch. On one shift, he blew by a Flyers defenseman in the neutral zone to get a good scoring chance. Berard sticks his nose in. He doesn’t look out of place. If anything, he looks like he belongs on the roster. Even when Chris Kreider returns.

Adam Edstrom competes hard. He was one of the only skaters who was noticeable during the first. He’s particularly effective on the cycle and moves well for his size. He seems to work well with Kaapo Kakko.

Both Jones and Schneider again played well. Even when split up, they finished on the plus side in Corsi. Compared to the other four defensemen, they skate better and make quicker decisions with the puck. Both deserve increased roles. They each received over 17 minutes of ice time.

Trocheck looked more like last year’s version that won the Steven McDonald Award. It’s imperative that he gets going. He led the team in shots (4) and attempts (7). If he can get untracked, that would really help moving forward. Laviolette has been using him like a workhorse. His minutes were below 20 on Friday. A rarity.

A big negative is Zibanejad. His lackadaisical skating and inability to generate much offense remains a big concern. With over two minutes left in regulation, he had the tying goal on his stick. But as only he can do, Zibanejad fanned on the shot to graze the post with Ivan Fedotov dead to rights. There’s been way too many of those from Zibanejad.

The Rangers play their first back-to-back later today when the Canadiens visit Penn Plaza. If they lose this game, I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s the end of Laviolette. At this point, it feels unfair. He’s the same coach who guided them to a memorable 2023-24 season by finishing with the league’s best record. They advanced to the Conference Finals before losing to the Panthers.

It really comes down to the players. There are so many distractions right now. They need to block it out and produce their best hockey. A five-game homestand that includes the red-hot Devils visiting Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Dec. 2 is a chance to turn things around. It starts against Montreal at 1 EST.