Rangers coach Gerard Gallant RIPS his “soft” team after Game 4 loss!

The New York Rangers are officially in dire straights after having dropped both of their games against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, and now find themselves trailing in their best of seven series by a 3-1 margin.

All the more puzzling is that the New York defense, led by Vezina Trophy candidate goaltender Igor Shesterkin, surrendered 14 goals to Pittsburgh the past two games. The Penguins have essentially had their way with the Rangers, and are now on the verge of advancing to the second round.

And ahead of his team's pivotal Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant didn't mince words when it came to their performance Monday night. 

"Played soft. We were soft all over the ice," he said. "That's the biggest difference, we were soft all over the ice."

"There wasn't much commitment to playing defense tonight." 

Gallant's lament of porous defense was especially evident in the 2nd period, when the Penguins lit up the Rangers for five goals, including a pair of tallies just 24 seconds apart. 

However, despite being pulled for the second time in as many outings, the Rangers will be going right back to Shesterkin in Game 5. 

“He’ll be back in there ready to win on Wednesday,” said Gallant, who described Shesterkin as “the best goalie in the league.”

Shesterkin was serenaded by taunts by the raucous Penguins crowd all game, hearing his name chanted routinely as well as “We Want Igor” chants after he was pulled in favor of Alex Georgiev. 

You can't blame Penguins fans for having fun at Shesterkin's expense, especially after the infamous incident back in April after he waved “goodbye” to the Penguins after a 3-0 win in Manhattan. Meanwhile, 3rd stringer Louis Domingue won his third straight after replacing Casey DeSmith in double overtime of Game 1, making 24 saves. 

Should the Rangers not win Game 5 Wednesday, they'll be sent to an early offseason that certainly wasn't being predicted by a majority of pundits before this series began.