EDMONTON, Alberta – It should be acknowledged that this was the first back-to-back losing streak for the Rangers this season, giving the team double the number of wins compared to regular losses thus far.

It should be pointed out that despite a 2-2 win on this four-game Western road trip – after a dismal 6-2 loss to the Oilers closed out the swing on Saturday night at Rogers Place – the Rangers are fortunate to be where they are . We need to think about how inconsistent the game has been over the past month.

Just over a year has passed since the Blueshirts won this exact stage in Western Canada last season. It feels more like a century ago now.

Rangers have already conceded five or more goals five times this season. Thanksgiving is next week.

“We knew it (the Oilers were a good rushing team), we talked about it,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “We talked about staying above them and getting above them and sometimes we put ourselves in bad positions, sometimes we lost foot races, sometimes we turned the puck over, sometimes we fell into the offensive zone and lost a lead and the rush comes just get back to you quickly.

Laviolette has preached the concept of attacking the game since he took over the team last year. but the Rangers bench boss has seen his team roll on his back and show his belly time and time again this season.

The Rangers have lacked any fighting spirit to start games lately, a glaring concern that has obviously given their opponents the upper hand every time.

In their last two first periods together, the Blueshirts were defeated by a deplorable 41-14. This after the Oilers had given two goals on 21 shots to Rangers goalkeeper Jonathan Quick during the first twenty minutes on Saturday evening.

“Not good enough the last two games, the first few periods weren’t great,” Jimmy Vesey said. “Twenty shots in total, the last two first periods and overall I don’t think our first periods have been great all year. It’s not a recipe for success. They get 20 shots, I’m not saying it’s 20 quality shots, but it puts us in a bit of a battle and we’re playing behind the eight ball.”

Edmonton operated at a different speed that the Rangers simply had no answer for, hampering the visitors in their own end for extended periods of time. Sustained offensive zone time has become so difficult for the Rangers to generate.

An Artemi Panarin giveaway set the Oilers on a strange rush before Vasil Podkolzin took advantage of the high slot to open the scoring.

While there were few power plays for the Rangers, their lack of urgency with the man advantage allowed the Oilers – who have the second-worst penalty kill in the NHL – to score their first shorthanded goal of the season.

Trailing in the game, Darnell Nurse was all alone for a clear shot against Quick to take a 2-0 lead after the first period.

When the Rangers gave up another strange rush on their next power play, Vincent Trocheck was called for hooking to negate the man advantage.

Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid then had a two-on-one opportunity during four-on-four play before the former buried his NHL-leading 16th goal of the season.

“The first couple of power plays we had chances, quick chances and good looks, but we were one and done,” Trocheck said. “We definitely need to be better at overtaking, and our submissions need to be a lot better. Our pimples – we don’t come in clean. We have to solve that.”

Despite Panarin’s attempts to make up for his costly blunder earlier in the game by keeping the Rangers from facing a shutout with a goal at 15:02 of the second period, the Oilers’ offense continued as usual.

Rogers Place began taunting Quick and his name echoed through the lower hall.

McDavid then scored twice in the final frame, deflecting on one with a cross-zone pass from Evan Bouchard and waiting for the Rangers defense on the other.

It should be noted that Rangers are in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, just two points out of third place and five points out of first place, despite having played fewer games.

It needs to be remembered because lately it’s easy to forget.