Sorry showing from hopeful Blueshirts

THIS was not good enough. With or without Artemi Panarin, this was not good enough from a Rangers’ team that has established making the playoffs as a realistically achievable objective.

But it surely won’t be if the Blueshirts play with the same lack of urgency immediately following the bye week/All-Star break as they did in Tuesday’s 4-2 defeat to the Islanders at the Garden that ushered in the 10-day hiatus.

It was difficult to tell whether the guys in the room who insisted the effort had been good enough were spinning for their own benefit or the media’s. There was talk of the 43-18 advantage in shots, far less talk about the benign nature of most them with which netminder Thomas Greiss had to contend.

And yes, true enough, the Rangers were without their signature player, Panarin, sidelined with an unidentified upper-body issue that had been festering since the end of last week, but you’d think No. 10’s absence would have created an additional sense of urgency among the healthy. But no, it did not. The Rangers played a lot on the outside. They were lax in their decision-making. Just as the Blue Jackets did in their 2-1 last-minute victory over the Rangers on Sunday, the Islanders went into a neutral zone trap relatively early in the match. For the second straight game, the Rangers were slightly flummoxed by it all.

The team that lives for and thrives in open spaces was unable to create much. After losing both Battles of New York last week, the Islanders dictated the pace. The Rangers need fast and frenetic. This was neither.

Ryan Strome struggled throughout. Pavel Buchnevich did score on a late thirdperiod power-play deflection but otherwise was unimpressive. Alex Georgiev was ordinary and did little to secure a spot in the three-into-two scenario in nets. Marc Staal wasn’t especially strong, neither was Jacob Trouba. Brett Howden was benched for most of the third period.

There was not enough from too many players, though Kaapo Kakko, who moved up to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider in the third period, had one of his most substantial performances over the last two months. Indeed, Kakko played 7:55 in the third period, elevating his total time on the ice to a career-high 19:33, one second more than the rookie got on Nov. 6 against Detroit.

So, a positive step there. And if it is true in the long view that whatever is good for Kakko is good for the Rangers, then No. 24’s night provides a salve to the wound of defeat. Of course, the next game isn’t until Jan. 31 at the Garden against Detroit, and Kakko is heading home to Finland for the break, so we’ll see if there’s a carryover and if David Quinn keeps him on that top-flight unit or reunites the 18-year-old with Howden and Filip Chytil.

The Islanders, who’d won only one of their past six (1-3-2) and only 12 of 28 (12-12-4) since they bolted out of the gate 16-3-1 by dint of a 16-game point-streak, came into the match with only a three-point cushion on a playoff berth. They were desperate.

The Rangers, who entered the contest nine points out of the second wild-card spot, with two games in hand and five teams to leapfrog in order to qualify for the tournament, should have been desperate, too. If they were, it sure never manifested itself in their play.

Quinn talked about the goal that gave the Islanders a 3-0 lead at 9:52 of the second period, “too easy,” but the coach could have defined the Rangers’ game that way. Anders Lee scored that one after the Blueshirts lost a puck battle behind their own net despite a three-two edge in bodies. They lost it despite Staal being first on the puck before being outmuscled (?) by Mat Barzal, who, by the by, was benched for the entire third period by Barry Trotz for No. 13’s penchant for individuality

The Blueshirts did stack up shots early on Greiss and had a 9-1 edge when Strome took what has become a patented careless-stick foul. This was a high stick on Brock Nelson at 12:19, accounting for the center’s 18th minor penalty of the year, tied for 10th most in the league. Of those 18 minors, three have been seven for hooking, six for tripping and five for high-sticking. The Islanders struck on the power play for a 1-0 lead at 13:35.

Exactly three minutes later, Anthony Beauvillier rifled one home on the power play. After Lee made it 3-0, Nelson got one in front, both beating Strome on the draw and then escaping his coverage down low for the deflection.

It was another one that was too easy on a night the Blueshirts made it easy for the Islanders.