Inexcusable Rangers loss makes trade deadline priorities clearer

Here is the message the Rangers sent to Chris Drury throughout Friday’s 3-2 defeat to the Penguins at the Garden as the GM and the hierarchy plot their strategy ahead of the March 7 trade deadline: 

Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

Larry David, in the house, could not have been more stunned by this negligent performance than head coach Peter Laviolette, who issued a series of curt, one-word answers — “Unacceptable,” was the template — in a postgame news briefing that clocked in at 35 seconds. 

The Penguins were without Sidney Crosby for the first time since Game 6 of the 2022 playoffs in the aftermath of the Jacob Trouba hit the previous contest. The Penguins were without Evgeni Malkin for the fifth consecutive match.