"Chris Drury's sabotage has utterly destroyed this franchise": Blueshirts fans livid after NY Rangers lose 6-2 to Tampa Bay Lightning

The NY Rangers' abysmal run in the ongoing NHL season continues even after the Christmas break. On Saturday, the Rangers suffered another crushing 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in an away game played at the Amalie Arena.

With this loss, last year's President's Trophy winners have not only marked a dismal 4-14-0 record in their last 18 games, but they have also proved that their last week's victory over the Dallas Stars, which they snapped after a six-game losing streak was nothing more than a fluke.

The same NY Rangers fans who had high hopes of ending the team's three-decade-long Stanley Cup drought at the beginning of the season, fueled by the Rangers' impressive 5-0-1 start, are now infuriated by the team's unending third-rate performance. Many fans have taken to X to express their disappointment and frustration with the team.

"From First to Worst," wrote a fan.

"LAUGHING STOCK OF THE LEAGUE!," reacted a fan.

"Fire someone, change something. We won the presidents trophy last year this is just sad," said another fan.

Following Saturday's loss, last year's Eastern Conference finalists now find themselves placed at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with an overall record of 16-18-1. As the NY Rangers playoff hopes fade, numerous frustrated fans have taken to social media to express their discontent and identify what's going wrong with the team.

Fans have pointed to various issues, including Mika Zibanejad's slump, Ryan Lindgren's inconsistency, and coach Peter Laviolette's capabilities. However, fans overwhelmingly agree that the performance of General Manager Chris Drury is a problem that needs to be solved. Many fans believe it's imperative that Drury be relieved of his duties.

"What an embarrassment….. blow it up. Start with firing Drury," said a fan.

"Chris Drurys sabotage has utterly destroyed this franchise. He has done NOTHING to improve the team. He dumpster dives for players. He is too incompetent to make a good trade. He has sabotaged this team with every single move he’s made. FIRE DRURY FOR HIS SABOTAGE IMMEDIATELY,"rwrote a angry fan.

"Awful... just awful. Fire Drury. Fire Laviolette. Tear this down and rebuild," another fan wrote.

Hedman breaks Steven Stamkos' record as Lightning rout NY Rangers 6-2

NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning at Minnesota Wild - Source: Imagn

The Tampa Bay Lightning displayed a convincing and well-rounded performance in their 6-2 victory over the struggling NY Rangers on Saturday.

Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring at 2:27 in the first period, followed by defenseman Ryan McDonagh's first goal of the season at 18:11. Russian right-winger Nikita Kucherov scored two in the second period, the first one at 3:35 and second at 8:08. The 27-year-old center Anthony Cirelli also found the back of the net at 5:02, and Nicholas Paul scored the sixth one for the Lightning.

However, the moment of the game belonged to captain Victor Hedman, who achieved a momentous milestone by playing his 1,083rd game for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the most by any player for the franchise. The 34-year-old Hedman surpassed the former teammate Steven Stamkos' record. Interestingly, Hedman, who's playing his 16th season for the Lightning, also succeeded Stamkos as team captain in September this year after Stamkos moved to the Nashville Predators.