As a diehard fan of this team, it isn’t easy to enjoy the 2024-25 New York Rangers. Every time you think they reach a new low, they find a way to top it by sinking even further.

Apparently, there is Quit In NY. These Blueshirts have made it easy for fans to hate them. I could easily refer to them as the Booshirts because they’ve certainly heard it from the crowd at Madison Square Garden this season. And why not. They’re under .500 at home with a mediocre 17-17-3 record. Of the nine games that remain, four will be played at 33rd and 7th, including the final one against the Lightning on April 17. Whether or not that game carries any weight remains to be seen.

On Friday night, the Rangers lost in crushing fashion to the Ducks 5-4 in overtime. Facing a much younger opponent who were faster, they restored a two-goal lead when Mika Zibanejad scored on the power play to make it 4-2 with less than 16 minutes left in the third period.

The Ducks kept handing them chances by taking penalties. Following the rare power-play goal scored by Zibanejad, Anaheim took a pair of minor penalties 24 seconds apart to put the Rangers on a two-man advantage. Instead of capitalizing on the golden opportunity to put the game away, the five-man unit kept passing and passing the puck without taking any shots. The worst sequence had to be when Zibanejad refused to shoot from the left circle, instead opting for a lousy forced pass that was broken up by the Ducks penalty kill. What made it more mind-numbing is that he’d just scored his 16th of the season on a five-on-four.

Following yet another Rangers power failure, Cutter Gauthier put in a rebound to make it 4-3 with less than six minutes remaining. Many fans knew what to expect. A Leo Carlsson goal 2:22 into the period had prepared them for what was coming. Even with Zibanejad temporarily restoring order, you knew it was only a matter of time before the blown power play chances came back to haunt them. Once Gauthier scored to cut the lead to one, it was painfully obvious what would happen.

Making matters worse, the Blueshirts wasted a late power play that could have finished the Ducks off. Instead, as it concluded the second unit cost them a win in regulation. After Alexis Lafreniere sent the puck around the boards, both Will Cuylle and J.T. Miller managed to get trapped up ice.

Once the Ducks came out with the puck, it spelled doom. Somehow, with less than two minutes left, they executed a four-on-two with Olen Zellweger taking a Pavel Mintyukov drop pass and beating Igor Shesterkin high blocker to tie the game with 1:45 remaining.

Once that happened, the end was predictable. It took the Ducks 59 seconds to win the game in overtime. Following a Gauthier drop pass for Jackson LaCombe, he found Mason McTavish alone in front for the overtime winner. Both Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck got burned on the play.

If you’ve followed the Blueshirts, this is who they are. They’re a fundamentally flawed team that doesn’t know how to defend properly. Carlsson scored his goal by catching K’Andre Miller out of position – blowing by him and then beating Shesterkin with a wrist shot. Once Carlsson skated into the slot, he used Miller’s defensive partner Will Borgen as a screen to get off a good shot that Shesterkin couldn’t pick up.

Aside from choking away a two-goal lead, the Rangers prevented themselves from passing the Canadiens, who lost 4-1 to the Hurricanes last night. By only getting a point, the Blueshirts entered Saturday still out of the second wild card due to the Blue Jackets coming back to beat the Canucks 7-6 in a shootout. Both teams have 75 points, but Columbus has two games at hand. The Habs also have 75 points but have played one more game than the Blue Jackets.

How frustrating is this team? They’re probably the most fundamentally flawed one since before the lockout. Despite having established stars who get paid top dollar, they continue to leave fans in disbelief.

Rock bottom never seems to end. There was the Christmas game from hell against the Devils, crushing one-goal losses to the Avalanche and Canadiens, getting blown out at home by the Blue Jackets, and more recently the no-show against the Flames. Even a 5-3 come from behind win over the Canucks wasn’t overly impressive. They played a bad first period but overcame it by beating Kevin Lankinen four times on just 11 shots. If they’d faced a better goalie like Thatcher Demko, they’d probably be entering tonight’s game versus the Sharks on a three-game losing streak.

In fact, they have only one win in their last six games. Somehow, despite earning just three of a possible 12 points, they still remain alive for the final wild card. But with nine games left on the schedule, they’re at a disadvantage. The teams they’re competing with all have extra games left. That includes the Islanders, who also lost earlier today 5-3 to the Lightning. Even the woeful Red Wings are only three out despite losing four of their last five.

Here’s the reality. The Rangers are the most undeserving team of making the playoffs out of all the teams they’re competing with. Since Nov. 14-19, they haven’t won three in a row. In a year, they went from having the NHL’s best record and making the Eastern Conference Finals to being a mediocre team without an identity. At 34-32-7, they’re lucky the competition is so bad. If you looked up the Rangers in a dictionary, here are two words that sum them up. Backchecking Optional.

When you’re so bad that your fans begin to doubt you, there isn’t much cause for excitement. There have been too many games when I’ve tuned out. The team isn’t very likable due to how they play. They are a mentally fragile group who say the right things following losses but make the same mistakes over and over. They’re easy to hate. If you don’t believe me, take a look at what’s been said about them.

There is no reason to watch anymore. If you do, there’s one thing left to add. Misery loves company.