"Need to focus more": Rangers HC Peter Laviolette remains 'positive' despite 5-game losing streak

Peter Laviolette and the New York Rangers were off to a strong start this season with a 12-4-1 record. However, after losing five straight games, their record has as regressed to 12-9-1. The team is in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 25 points.

During their losing streak, the Rangers had a goal differential of 21-10. Before the slide, they had a hat trick with Artemi Panarin leading the teams' offense. Panarin has netted 12 goals with 26 points, while Adam Fox is showing good playmaking with 18 assists.

After the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday, coach Peter Laviolette was asked how important it was for the team to stay positing during the losing stretch. He said:

"We've gotta focus more on in the work I think, just dialed in, ready to compete when the puck drops. ... You need to have a game that you from start to finish where you do the things you want and then you can pull some positives and then you can continue to build on that, but I think the game's gonna get in line.

"We need a positive attitude going into a game, but you also need positive results coming out of the game. ... The way we play, I feel can help with that, you know, finding the positives."

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Peter Laviolette and the Rangers' loss to the Flyers

Bobby Brink gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 3:14 in the first period, after taking advantage of a turnover. Travis Konecny made it 2-0 at 4:24 with a backhand goal off a pass from Sean Couturier.

Vincent Trocheck scored for the Rangers in the second period, making it 2-1 at 10:20. The team had a few chances in the third period, but couldn’t tie the game.

Konecny then added an empty-net goal at 19:32 to seal the win for Philadelphia.

"Second [period] was a little bit better, but not much," Laviolette said, via NHL.com. "Third, I thought we pushed. We had chances to tie the game and couldn't get it done. We left the game in the first period and that can't happen for a team sitting here looking for ways to win hockey games. Just the work in the first period wasn't good."

The Rangers couldn’t recover from their slow start and thus lost their fifth straight game. Peter Laviolette will hope to turn things around against the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden on Saturday at home.