The Rangers organization spent so much time proclaiming its goal was to become a harder team to play against.

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It’s ironic, isn’t it, how much that message has been trotted out in recent years. Because six years after ex-general manager Jeff Gorton first said it — following the team’s loss to the Hurricanes in the 2020 qualifying round — the Blueshirts have become one of the least imposing teams in the National Hockey League.

Manhattan has become the premier destination on the league’s tour for a cakewalk game.

It certainly was for the Senators on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, where the Rangers were once again picked apart in an 8-4 loss that counted as their season-high fifth in a row.