from Steve Zipay of Newsday,

When the Rangers look back after this season ends, they may point to Wednesday as the day that the wheels came off.

In a 6-1 loss at the Garden to the Boston Bruins — who are a red-hot, legit Cup contender — the Blueshirts lost their fourth straight and looked like a distracted team just waiting for trades, with their minds on their uncertain futures.

Henrik Lundqvist, who was pulled for the third time in five starts, said: “It was disappointing, frustrating and embarrassing. The way things have been going lately takes me from being the way I want to be, on my toes, aggressive, to being a little passive in the second. I think it’s obviously a mental thing right now, it’s not technical. Those two goals in the first had a negative effect on my play.”

Lundqvist was chased in the second period after allowing four goals on 16 shots. He will still be around in April, long past the Feb. 26 trade deadline. But otherwise, this year’s team is officially a squad in transition, often lost on defense, and one that is expected to shed some unrestricted free agents and perhaps some more familiar faces in the summer as a re-tooling continues.

The Bruins, who won their fourth straight, steamrolled the Rangers, who have lost 7 of 8 and are 4-11 since the Winter Classic (all 11 losses coming in regulation).

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