There is no defense. 

Literally, figuratively, there is no defense for the Rangers’ failure to compete in this spin cycle that is threatening to capsize the season even before the NHL’s eight-day holiday roster freeze kicks in a minute before midnight Wednesday. 

The Rangers talked about it during a meeting following Saturday’s embarrassment of a 5-1 rout by the Kings at the Garden, but the time for talk has been over for weeks through this stretch in which the Blueshirts have gone 3-9 in their last 12 overall and 3-7 in their last 10 on Broadway. 

Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers reacts after the Los Angeles Kings score a goal during the first period on Saturday afternoon. Robert Sabo for NY Post

And if this game — in which the Blueshirts were disengaged and uninterested for the full 60 minutes — proves anything, it is that a Return to the Dark Ages of 1997-2004 are never all that far away. 

This is a group in which the likes of Scott Fraser, Val Kamensky, Chris Tamer, Alexandre Daigle and Kevin Hatcher would fit nicely. 

“This, to me, we didn’t have what it took to start a hockey game and be successful,” said head coach Peter Laviolette, who has grown increasingly frustrated over his team’s inability to play consistently competitive hockey. “It’s frustrating because we are back in our building.” 

Igor Shesterkin was pulled in the second period. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The hierarchy has no stomach to fire Laviolette after firing Gerard Gallant two years ago and David Quinn four years ago. There is no stomach to affix the blame on yet another coach instead of taking care of the coach-averse core. 

But the season is slipping away. The leadership group has crawled into a shell. There is something lacking in the room, there is something lost in translation during the jaunt down the tunnel to take the ice. 

There is no fight, there is no anger evident at the team’s plight. Players don’t take hits to make plays, they don’t support one another in battle zones, they don’t cover anyone even when the team has numbers, as they did early in the second period when the Kings entered the zone two-on-four. 

Victor Mancini of the New York Rangers and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers can’t stop a goal by Los Angeles Kings Phillip Danault on Saturday. Robert Sabo for NY Post

This was just under two minutes after the Kings extended their 2-0 first-period lead to 3-0 at 2:46. The first period, by the way, the Blueshirts had two shots on goal through the first 11:43, one from fourth-line center Sam Carrick and the other from fourth-line winger Adam Edstrom. So there. 

But now it was 3-0 after Quinton Byfield made the Blueshirts pay for an Artemi Panarin lost battle in the neutral zone and in came LA two-on-four with Chris Kreider, Reilly Smith, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren back. 

Somehow, and with Mika Zibanejad hurrying back into the picture, Adrian Kempe scored an uncontested goal from in front for 4-0 at 4:40 off a circus backhand feed from Anze Kopitar. The Rangers had numbers. The Kings had the number, 4-0. 

Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings makes a stop on a shot by Mika Zibanejad on Saturday. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Everyone in the league has the Rangers’ number. Playing in the Garden has become a walk in the park. 

“Knock some people down,” Laviolette said. “We have enough guys in there that we should be able to defend in an area. 

“It needs to be a priority.” 

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From Laviolette’s lips to his players’ closed ears. 

What, by the way, is associate coach/defensive coordinator Phil Housley teaching? 

The 15-13-1 Rangers are 1-5 against Eastern playoff teams and 1-3 against Western playoff teams while 9-2 against non-tournament teams in the East and 4-3-1 against those on the outside in the West. Eleven of the next 14 games are against clubs in playoff position. 

Will Cuylle of the New York Rangers chases a rebound during the third period on Saturday afternoon. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The Rangers’ best players are rarely their best players. Igor Shesterkin, who received minimal help, was pulled at 5:04 of the second after allowing five goals on 21 shots when Phillip Danault slammed home a rebound to complete LA’s three goals on four shots within 2:18. 

Alexis Lafreniere’s game has nosedived since his seven-year, $52.15 million extension was announced Oct. 25. This has not been a good look. Filip Chytil has struggled at both ends of the ice since returning from a seven-game absence Nov. 30. Braden Schneider’s play has become increasingly erratic over the fortnight. 

In other words, it’s not only the veterans who must answer for this collapse that the players are seeming to take with far too much equanimity. Isn’t someone angry enough to attempt to take control? Apparently not. 

A vanilla team doing vanilla-team things. 

There’s no defense.