Three takeaways from Rangers' loss to Sabres

After a couple of ugly losses during the last couple of weeks — and one or two unconvincing wins — the Rangers are 8-3-1 going into Saturday’s game against the Red Wings in Detroit.

But based on their play the last two weeks, and coming off a 6-1 loss to Buffalo on Thursday at the Garden  in which goalie Igor Shesterkin was pulled in the second period, is it possible that this team is not be as good as people had thought?

“Like you said, we are 8-3-1. That’s a positive,’’ Vincent Trocheck said Thursday night. “But we do need to look ourselves in the mirror and get better. There's a lot of areas for improvement.’’

Here are three takeaways from Thursday’s alarming loss.

1. Shesterkin’s negotiating leverage is only getting stronger.

Before the game, a post on X (formerly Twitter) by ESPN hockey analyst and insider Kevin Weekes suggested a compromise between the free agent-to-be Shesterkin, who  reportedly is seeking a contract that would pay him an average of $12 million per year, and the Rangers, who Weekes some time ago said offered $11 million per year over eight years.

On Thursday, Weekes posted a picture of the New York skyline with “11.5?’’ That number would be halfway between the Rangers’ reported offer and Shesterkin’s reported ask.

After Weekes’ report last month that Shesterkin turned down the Rangers’ $88 million offer, the goalie flat-out stole some games, showing just how critical he is to the team’s success.

On Thursday, when he was less than brilliant, he may have driven the point home even more.

2. The top forwards need to score more, and more consistently.

There are deficiencies in the defensive zone, certainly, regarding coverage and breaking the puck out, but the top six  forwards need to produce more.

Coach Peter Laviolette, unhappy with the team’s play, broke up all his lines, and all his defense pairs, before Sunday’s game against the Islanders. It worked for that game, but by the end of Thursday night's game, Laviolette was benching people and switching up lines again.

“I don't like the fact that we weren't at the attack more,’’ he said. “[I was] disappointed that we didn't generate more, we didn't go after them, that we didn't attack them . . . What we needed was to control the puck more, to generate more in the offensive zone, to stay in the offensive zone longer, to put their goalie under siege, more than we did.’’

Laviolette tried lots of things during the last period-and-a-half, including going back to his nominal top line of Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith in the third period. The fourth line played a ton, Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil each got three shifts in the third, and Artemi Panarin played with almost everybody — at one point taking a shift with fourth-liner Sam Carrick and third-liner Kaapo Kakko.

At practice Friday, the coach reunited the third line of Will Cuylle, Chytil and Kakko, which had been his best line for the first 10 games. But the search continues for consistent, positive play from the top six.

3. First goal wins.

Through 12 games, the Rangers are 8-0-0 when they score first and 0-3-1 when they don’t. So here’s an idea: Always score first.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.