from Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post,

Their faces told the story far more than their words.

The Rangers looked tired and beaten, expectedly sulking after a 5-2 loss to the Flyers on Friday night that represented something distinctly worse than a broken a five-game winning streak or the end to a franchise-best nine-game road winning streak. It represented something even worse than not making up ground on their playoff chances.

It was the game when Chris Kreider fractured his foot blocking a shot, with the ink on his new seven-year, $45.5 million contract having hardly dried before the veteran spirit on and off the ice of this recent joyful run now may be lost through the end of the regular season.

“It’s tough,” said Kreider’s center, Mika Zibanejad, his head lowered and his voice soft. “I don’t know how to put it into words, really. Obviously a key player and a key guy in the locker room and on the ice, and for our line and the rest of the team.”

Zibanejad then paused, and summed it up: “This sucks.”

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