Seven games in and it all feels so familiar.

Frustration abounds in the stands and the dressing room, where the hard conversations are already being had between players wondering whether everybody is pulling in the same direction.

There are passengers, there are injuries, there’s a significant suspension, the lines are a mess, the new systems have still yet to be grasped and now special teams are letting them down.

An injury to Adam Ruzicka in the team’s third loss in a row Tuesday against the visiting Rangers means an unproven call-up will likely soon be summoned to join a group that has to feel like the walls are closing in on them once again.

“Last season was different,” said Nikita Zadorov, pausing before offering a refreshingly honest assessment of who took most of the blame for last year’s faceplant.

“It was Darryl (Sutter).

“Now there’s no Darryl, so there’s no excuses.

“You guys don’t like hard coaches, you don’t like soft coaches, you don’t like good coaches, fair. It’s a new day league. You come up here and you play hard and you leave everything on the ice.

“Obviously the new system and new coaching staff are definitely a part of it as well.

“It’s a big adjustment playing a different system and it takes time for us to learn it.

“But far easier to learn if you’ve got buy in all the way.”

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