3 least impressive New York Rangers players from 3-1 loss to Los Angeles Kings feat. Vincent Trocheck 

The New York Rangers entered Tuesday night's game on the West Coast against the Los Angeles Kings in a precarious position, needing every point in the standings that they can scrap together to avoid missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs, just one year after earning the top spot in the NHL as a whole.

Meanwhile, the Kings were hoping to maintain their second-place spot in the Pacific Division.

The Kings did just that, defeating the Rangers by a 3-1 final score and dealing them a damaging loss that dropped them to 34-32-6; the Kings improved to 40-21-9.

There were no goals to speak of in the opening 20 minutes of play, but that was quickly solved just minutes into the second period.

J.T. Miller, who is playing in his second stint with the Rangers after being re-acquired in a blockbuster trade earlier this season with the Vancouver Canucks, scored his 18th goal at the 2:08 mark to break the ice.

However, the Kings would grab a 2-1 lead before the second period was through, thanks to power-play goals from Kevin Fiala and Phillip Danault; they took their one-goal lead into the second intermission.

The Rangers would press desperately for the tying goal in the third period, pulling goaltender Igor Shesterkin late in regulation for a sixth attacker. However, the gamble from head coach Peter Laviolette backfired.

Fiala scored his second goal of the game, hitting the vacated net and sealing the Rangers' fate.

Shesterkin finished with 30 saves on 32 shots, while Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves on the night.

3 least impressive New York Rangers players from 3-1 loss to LA Kings

#1. Vincent Trocheck

These are the kinds of games in which the Rangers are relying upon their veteran leadership to drag them past the finish line and back into the playoffs.

However, Vincent Trocheck was nowhere to be found for them on Tuesday night. He failed to register a point, finished with a -1 rating, and also committed a team-high four giveaways.

#2. Mika Zibanejad

Another no-show for the Rangers in a game of the utmost importance, Zibanejad failed to make any kind of impact when it was needed most.

Not only did he not make an appearance on the scoresheet, but he also failed to register a single shot on goal.

#3. Adam Fox

The top Rangers defenseman has been battling inconsistency this season, and wasn't at his best in the costly loss against the Kings.

He finished with a -1 rating, took a costly penalty on which the Kings scored, and also committed a pair of giveaways.

The New York Rangers will look to bounce back when they take on the Anaheim Ducks next at Honda Center on Friday.