Rangers need their Big 3 to step up offensively before it’s too late

Had the Rangers survived Game 4 the way they somehow escaped Game 3 in Florida with a win, the question would be a much different one.

If the Rangers were entering Thursday night’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final at the Garden with a 3-1 series lead over the Panthers, we might be wondering this right now: How much better might the Blueshirts be if their star goal-scorers were producing?

Those possibilities would have been tantalizing considering how close the Rangers are to advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in pursuit of their first title in 30 years — six wins, to be exact.

Instead, in the wake of Tuesday night’s 3-2 overtime loss in Florida, which knotted the series up at a stressful 2-2 entering Game 5, we are left to wonder this: How much longer can the Rangers survive without offensive production from Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad?

This has officially become a thing in this series for the Rangers.

The three combined for 114 goals and 267 points in the regular season. And, through four games of this series against the Panthers, they’ve combined for no goals and three assists.