"Tale of two teams": Mike Sullivan provides honest observation of the New York Rangers season

The New York Rangers looked promising to start the year, but during the first ten games of the season, we saw cracks in the foundation.

What once was a promising forward group and a determined team, we've seen steadily slip to 8th in the Metropolitan Division.

Head Coach Mike Sullivan commented on the dichotomy between the start of the season and where we are now. The team is currently 12-11-2 in 25 games, and the outlook doesn't seem better from here.

Keep in mind, this is the same coach who blamed the Rangers' issues on the media, so it tracks that he'd have a different narrative now.

At the start of the year, they began their first ten games with a record of 4-6-0, despite their strong looks on the ice. Yet they've never been able to put together a consistent winning streak this season other than their three-game stretch on the West Coast (per StatMuse).

While we would like what Mike Sullivan said to be true, the soundbite is hopeful at most and wrong at the best.

The team has failed to be one of the best of the 32 teams in the NHL at the moment, and all the flashes of brilliance this year have been fleeting.

Even with a rebound win against the St. Louis Blues, in 25 games, the team needs to find a way to play its own game and impose its will on a nightly basis.

For posterity's sake:

This is one of ten disturbing Rangers facts at the beginning of the year from The Athletic.

It seems like there hasn't been much of a shift in the quality of play, and mounting injuries don't help the team overcome it's obstacles.