from Larry Brooks of the New York Rangers,

The Rangers dishonored themselves and their season with a total eclipse of the heart in Monday’s 7-2 debacle of a Game 4 defeat to the Penguins that leaves the club one loss away from ignominious extinction.

There is no excuse, none whatsoever, for the manner in which the team’s marquee players were swept away like so much refuse in this one. They were overwhelmed in their matchups to such an extent that you wanted to turn your eyes away from the carnage, especially during Pittsburgh’s five-goal second period.

What was Mika Zibanejad doing? What about Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome? What about Adam Fox? Jacob Trouba? This one — and this series — is not on the young’uns. This series is on the team leaders.

“We played soft. We were soft all over the ice,” said head coach Gerard Gallant, whose team was beaten in one-on-ones all night long. “That’s the biggest difference. We were soft all over the ice.”

There is no greater indictment from this coach. But it is not as if he and his staff have been innocent bystanders through this series as the Blueshirts structure has generally been flimsier than paper-mache. Gallant called 7-2, “a team effort.” That includes the guys behind the bench.

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Game highlights are below.