Following the latest shutout at home, a 3-0 loss to the depleted Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, the New York Rangers remain without a win at Madison Square Garden. They’ve been shut out four times in six home games.

Astonishingly, the Rangers have been outscored 18-6 by opponents at MSG. The only game they scored over two goals in was a 6-5 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 23. The only other goal came against the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 20 in a 3-1 defeat. That was the last time Artemi Panarin scored. Since then, he’s been held without a point in six straight games. That included the successful 3-1-0 road trip.

Panarin’s offensive issues have become a team wide epidemic for the NHL’s lowest scoring team. The Rangers rank dead last in offense averaging 2.21 goals-per-game. With another 0-for-2 performance on the man-advantage against the Hurricanes, who managed to convert on their first chance off the stick of Nikolai Ehlers, the Rangers have plummeted to 32nd in the league on the power play. They’re a woeful 4-for-36 for a league-low 11.1 percent. Ironically, the Hurricanes entered Thursday with the 31st ranked power play. They managed to capitalize with Ehlers getting his first goal on Nov. 4.

After sticking with the same lineup that was successful on the Western swing, coach Mike Sullivan decided to rearrange his lines at today’s practice in preparation to visit the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. With Panarin still struggling, along with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere hardly producing, Sullivan has once again tweaked his lines for tomorrow. Despite having some success playing with rookie Noah Laba, both Lafreniere and Will Cuylle will play with J.T. Miller instead. The Rangers captain was extremely frustrated with himself over the team’s latest shutout.

“It starts with me. I need to be better. I need to do something to help drag the team in for an extra couple percent here,” Miller told reporters in the Rangers locker room following Tuesday night’s loss.

Despite having only three goals and five assists so far, Miller ranks second on the team in scoring with eight points. Sadly, that leads all forwards. Panarin has been stuck on two goals and five assists for a while. Despite ranking second among Rangers in total shots (41), which trails only Mika Zibanejad (43), he has a shooting percentage of 4.9.

That isn’t getting it done for a player who reportedly isn’t open to taking a pay cut on his next contract. If he really wants to make a strong case to stay in New York City, Panarin might want to start producing. He also is in need of checking his ego. There’s no way Rangers team president and general manager Chris Drury is going to keep him at a similar rate to his current salary ($11.64 million AAV).

What if Panarin is unwilling to waive his no-movement clause next year if the Rangers are out of playoff contention? They’d be stuck with an unhappy player playing out the final year of his contract, willing to test free agency next summer. That’s the worst case scenario for the organization.

Both the Hurricanes and Wild already have expressed interest in acquiring Panarin. Considering how good the Hurricanes are, I can see why. As they proved a couple of seasons ago when they acquired Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins as a rental, they’re always a player. Panarin’s former teammate K’Andre Miller is finally ready to return to the lineup after missing a chance to face the Rangers at MSG. The Wild already locked up Kirill Kaprizov on a record eight-year, $136 million contract extension that’ll make him the league’s highest paid player next season. If they turn things around, I’m sure they’d love to have Panarin playing alongside Kaprizov.

Of course, none of it matters right now. Panarin has a job to do in helping turn around the Rangers. Sullivan broke up the loaded top line that featured Panarin with Miller and Zibanejad. When they visit Detroit, it’ll be Zibanejad and Panarin with Taylor Raddysh, who somehow still leads the Blueshirts in goals with five. He’ll get another look in the top six. He’s certainly played well enough to earn a promotion.

As for the remaining lines, it’s back to the drawing board for Laba. He’ll go from playing with Cuylle and Lafreniere, who he had chemistry with, to centering Sullivan team ornament Conor Sheary and Jonny Brodzinski. As hard as he plays, I’ve had enough of watching Sheary blow scoring chances. The four assists he’s put up are fine. But couldn’t it be a younger player instead? Somehow, Adam Edstrom will likely find himself a healthy scratch for tomorrow night. Even if he had a bad game on Tuesday, why is it always young players who get the shaft with this team? It doesn’t matter who the coach is. They always favor veterans. It’s sickening.

If there’s one consolation, it looks like Jaroslav Chmelar will make his NHL debut. Recently called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack on Monday for Brennan Othmann, the 22-year-old forward is slotted in on the fourth line with Sam Carrick and Juuso Parssinen. A 2021 fifth round pick who represented the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championships twice, Chmelar has two goals and three assists in nine games for the Wolf Pack this season. He has some size and edge to his game. I remember seeing him in the WJC, and liking how he played. It’s an opportunity for the 22-year-old to show what he can do.

The issue is why can’t Sheary sit out. Sullivan is really all about keeping it all in the family. I don’t care if they’re related due to Sheary marrying his niece. Enough is enough. Of course, he’ll continue to receive some time on the second power play unit. This time, it’ll be Lafreniere moved down with Raddysh, Brodzinski, Sheary, and Braden Schneider. That unit isn’t even worth the time. Laba would be a better option over the team ornament.

As usual, another coach is throwing all his eggs in one basket. At least, Cuylle will get the chance to be the net front presence on the number one unit. Nobody has come close to replacing Chris Kreider, who scored another goal in a Ducks win the other night. Kreider has seven in eight games. Old friend, Jacob Trouba is up to three goals and five helpers while tied with a league-leading plus-11 rating without taking a penalty. I’ve watched the Ducks play. They’re really good. Joel Quenneville knows what he’s doing. Nobody ever said he was a bad coach. What happened in Chicago remains a black eye for the NHL.

If you want more mind-numbing changes, you got it. In a Rangers World, I guess it makes perfect sense for Connor Mackey to play on the third defensive pair in the 15th game of the season. Nothing against Mackey, who gives an honest effort while playing with plenty of edge. He’ll probably get into a fight. At this stage, should Mackey be in the top six? Why even have Matthew Robertson on the roster? Urho Vaakanainen will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. He isn’t that good, either. But his analytics are much improved, like most of the defense under Sullivan. Having Mackey with Schneider doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence. Neither does continuing to roll out Schneider on the second power play. It won’t even matter.

They didn’t renew Zac Jones for another year of Vaakanainen, Robertson, and now Mackey. At least Jones could jump into the rush and run the point on the little-used second unit. He wasn’t good, either. But he had some offensive capabilities to his game. Sometimes, it’s really hard to support this team. They make it so hard.

Vincent Trocheck is getting closer to a return. He and Vaakanainen won’t be making the trip to Detroit. Perhaps Trocheck is a possibility for Saturday night when the New York Islanders come to town. I may as well just call them the Matthew Schaefer Islanders. That kid is a breath of fresh air. To think the Rangers were one loss away in their final meeting against the Islanders from lucking into Schaefer last spring. It would’ve changed everything. If you haven’t seen him play, please do so. Or watch his interview with the NHL On TNT panel, where he gave Henrik Lundqvist the business because he was a former Rangers legend who asked the first question.

To the fans who don’t get it, you never will. Schaefer has the larger than life personality that hockey lacks. He’s similar to Brad Marchand. Imagine that at age 18 while lighting it up as a rookie defenseman for the bitter rival Islanders. If they don’t market him, why even bother. Everyone knows how bad the NHL is at promoting the game’s best players. It’s kids like Schaefer and Macklin Celebrini who are the future of the sport.

In terms of who will get the start at Hockey Town, Sullivan could go with Jonathan Quick. Considering that it’s a quick turnaround with the Islanders coming to MSG on Saturday, I’d save Igor Shesterkin for them. But he might decide to have Shesterkin face the surprising Red Wings. Igor rarely gets both starts in a back-to-back. Quick is again off to a good start. We’ll see what Sullivan decides tomorrow.