Less than 24 hours later, the Rangers confirmed the worst fears by placing Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve. During the third period against the Lightning, Fox suffered an upper-body injury when he was caught by a clean Brandon Hagel hit that sent his left arm into the boards.

By putting him on LTIR, the Rangers will be without their best defenseman for at least 10 games. Losing Fox for any period hurts the team big time. The 27-year-old had found the form that won him a Norris, supplying consistent offense on a low scoring team. He assisted on the Rangers’ only goal scored by J.T. Miller yesterday, extending his point streak to six straight. All 10 points were assists.

Despite the Blueshirts remaining inconsistent due to their lousy home record at Madison Square Garden, Fox has been a bright spot. His 23 assists led the team and 26 points were tied for first in scoring with Artemi Panarin (8-18-26). Fox ranks first on the Rangers in even strength points (2-15-17) and tied for second with Panarin in power-play points (1-7-8). Mika Zibanejad leads them with nine (6-3-9).

Without Fox, the Rangers lose a valuable player who brings so much to the table. He drives the offense from the blue line, with his 26 points twice as many as defense partner Vladislav Gavrikov, who’s chipped in with 11.

Subtracting Fox from the power play leaves coach Mike Sullivan with no real options to quarterback it. They had been using Braden Schneider on the second unit. A no frills defenseman who doesn’t have much experience or remotely close to the offensive skills Fox has, Schneider isn’t cut out to run the number one unit.

Trailing the Lightning by two goals in the third period, Sullivan went with five forwards that featured Panarin, Zibanejad, Miller, Vincent Trocheck, and Will Cuylle. If he decides to stick with it for Tuesday against Dallas, he runs the risk of the dangerous Stars getting shorthanded chances.

It makes sense to have at least one defenseman on the top unit just as a safeguard. The best candidates are Gavrikov and rookie Scott Morrow. The question for the coaching staff is, do they trust Morrow enough to play top power play? He possesses the skating and offensive instincts that will be missing without Fox. Gavrikov already averages over 23 minutes a game as a shutdown defenseman who doubles on the penalty killing unit.

It’s a tough situation for the Rangers to be in. They’ve played the most games (27) in the league, but are a mediocre 13-12-2 with their 28 points separating them from the Blue Jackets by a single point for last place in the Metropolitan Division.

With six of the next eight games at home, they have to figure out a way to survive without their best skater. That would require them discovering how to win at The Garden. With only two wins in 11 games (2-8-1) so far on home ice, the Rangers haven’t been able to supply much offense. They’ve been shut out five times and outscored 34-17 by opponents.

Astonishingly, they’re much better away from MSG with a league best 11-4-1 record. The goal differential is reversed with the Blueshirts holding a 54-37 edge. It doesn’t make any sense. For whatever reason, they have played some of their worst hockey at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Unless that changes soon, the season will go up in smoke. They’re going to have to find a way to hang in there without Fox, who will be sorely missed.

Potential Defense Pairs

Minus Fox, Sullivan has to make a tough decision about who he should bump up to play with Gavrikov, who’s been everything they expected after signing him in the summer. He could opt to move Will Borgen up to the top pair.

A stout defender who plays physical, Borgen is probably most likely candidate on the roster to take on the role. A gritty player who’s become a key part of the back end, the 29-year-old has missed seven games due to a nagging injury. He just returned for the second time on Saturday after sitting out five straight on the IR.

Borgen plays the game with edge. He’s your classic defensive defenseman who will finish checks and block shots. He has 32 hits and 26 blocks so far in 20 games while playing mostly with Carson Soucy on the second pair. As his one goal and two helpers indicate, he won’t supply much offense because it’s not his job. But he’s smart and experienced enough to help fill the void left by Fox.

With Schneider seeing some time with Soucy when Borgen was out, it makes sense to have Borgen move up to work with Gavrikov. That would allow Schneider to stick with Soucy for the time being.

The third pair has featured Matthew Robertson a lot. Another stay at home defenseman who wins battles, he can stay in the lineup and play with Morrow, who at this point needs a lot of work in his end. However, he’s a better skater and a young, right-handed defenseman who the Rangers acquired from the Hurricanes as part of the K’Andre Miller trade on July 1. This feels like the time to find out more about Morrow. Especially on the man-advantage.

Assuming Sullivan goes with that proposed top six, that would leave Urho Vaakanainen as the extra. Vaakanainen is a good skating D who doesn’t take the body much. He’s serviceable enough to fill in if Morrow struggles. Or possibly for Robertson, depending on the matchup.

Whatever they decide tomorrow at practice will probably determine who plays against the Stars on Tuesday.

Tough Schedule Ahead

The Rangers don’t have any easy opponents coming up. After Dallas, it’s on the road for a game at Ottawa before returning home for the league-leading Avalanche and Golden Knights. Following a visit to Chicago, they’ve go the Canadiens, Ducks, and Canucks at MSG. That’s a tough seven-game slate. The remaining three are against the Flyers, Predators, and Capitals before Dec. 27 versus the Islanders in Elmont, when Fox becomes eligible to return.

That assumes the injury to Fox doesn’t keep him out longer. As reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, he’s week to week. The injury isn’t expected to prevent him from being available for the Olympics. As if anyone who roots for this team cares about that right now. The arena might not even be ready in Italy with no backup plan. Wouldn’t that be great for the NHL?

If the Rangers struggle during this critical stretch, that could help make up Chris Drury’s mind about this season. It’s a long way until Christmas.