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"Don't have an answer": Mike Sullivan left questioning the Rangers identity after another dud performance

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Hunter Bowman
December 11, 2025 (1:45 PM)

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These New York Rangers highs and lows keep stacking on each other, and Mike Sullivan finally sounded fed up.

The Rangers followed a strong stretch with three straight deflating losses, dropping 3-0 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, just days after falling 3-2 to Vegas on Sunday and 3-2 to Colorado on Saturday, both during overtime.

Sullivan was asked what he thinks is behind these flat, disconnected games. His response said everything. He admitted he simply did not have an answer, adding that the timing of these no-shows is especially disappointing when they had just battled well against elite teams.

"I don't have an answer for you. It's disappointing because we just go through a stretch where we play what we would deem some of the best teams in the league, and we put a game on the ice that's pretty damn competitive. We've got to be able to do that consistently, night in and not out. And that's our challenge. We took a step back tonight. We didn't bring that game."

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The effort in Chicago was their lowest point of the week. The Rangers generated little sustained pressure, rarely connected on zone exits, and seemed out of sync from the opening shift. The difference between their structure and their lack of urgency against Chicago was jarring.

Mike Sullivan questions Rangers' identity after three frustrating losses

Sullivan hinted this might be more of a mindset issue than a tactical one. His players echoed that sentiment earlier in the week. J.T. Miller noted that whenever momentum starts to build, the team struggles to carry it forward.

Fans feel the same way, watching a team capable of competing with top contenders but then slipping into stretches where they cannot string passes together.

Still, Sullivan avoided excuses. He emphasized that execution and compete level must improve, regardless of who is in the lineup. For a team aiming to climb the standings, these «dud performances,» as he called them, cannot become the norm.

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POLL
DECEMBRE 11 \| 142 ANSWERS "Don't have an answer": Mike Sullivan left questioning the Rangers identity after another dud performance Are the Rangers' dud performances a mindset issue or a lineup issue?
mindset	40	28.2 %
lineup	38	26.8 %
both	60	42.3 %
neither	4	2.8 %
List of polls

"Don't have an answer": Mike Sullivan left questioning the Rangers identity after another dud performance

These New York Rangers highs and lows keep stacking on each other, and Mike Sullivan finally sounded fed up.

Mike Sullivan questions Rangers' identity after three frustrating losses

Are the Rangers' dud performances a mindset issue or a lineup issue?