"What a disgrace of an answer": Blueshirts fans blast NY Rangers HC Peter Laviolette's reasoning for not giving Filip Chytil more ice time

New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette is facing backlash from fans over his reasoning for not giving forward Filip Chytil more ice time in the team's 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Monday.

Chytil scored a goal in the defeat, prompting reporters to ask Laviolette in the post-game press conference why the young forward didn't see more minutes down the stretch.

Laviolette explained:

"There's a group that we work on things and we go over things, there's a group that's been together. So, I mean, he played well. He was supposed to be going out on the second unit and he just never got the change with the person he was changing for."

The response didn't sit well with Rangers fans, many of whom took to social media to blast the reasoning. One fan tweeted:

“Thanks for asking! What a disgrace of an answer. He needs to go. He can take Drury with him.”

Another fan wrote:

"He should have given Chytil more ice time. I don’t care about a group you work with in these situations that hasn’t been working. When a guy is hot you put him out there. No excuses. These mistakes are costly."

Here are some fan reactions:

"Terrible answer so he was your 2nd choice behind Mr Weak Omg" one fan wrote.

"Lavi's time is almost up, esp with coaching decisions like that." another fan wrote.

"No more retread coaches we need New coaches with fire that will hold these guys accountable for there mistakes" a user commented.

"Even though most of us are more pissed at the players than anyone, the coach has certainly added fuel to this already out of control fire. His lineup decisions and in game strategies are abysmal" another user wrote.

Ryan Lindgren and Chris Kreider also scored for New York. Jesper Boqvist (two goals), Aleksander Barkov, Eetu Luostarinen and Mackie Samoskevich scored for the Panthers.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 33 shots, while Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves in the loss.

Filip Chytil on Rangers 5-3 loss to Panthers

Filip Chytil expressed disappointment in his inability to find the back of the net, noting that's an area he's continuously working on and expects to improve.

"I felt great play on the puck a lot, we had a lot of chances, I had a lot of chances, but as I said, yeah, goals besides the game and that's the thing I'm working on every day. Today, it could be more than one, but it's just a thing I gotta work on, and it's gonna get better." Filip Chytil said post-game.

The Rangers' recent struggles continued with their fourth consecutive loss, leaving them with a 16-19-1 record. Filip Chytil recognized the lost points on their recent road trip were not a positive outcome, but he remains focused on the upcoming challenge against the Boston Bruins at home.