New York Rangers, Mats Zuccarello
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As the 2016 New York Rangers season is well underway, now you start to see players and their routines. Is Henrik Lundqvist already in mid-season form?

By Jay Travers

Over the past several years, New York Rangers fans have been used to a rocky start to the season.

Every skater seems to be out of sorts, making horrible passes and looking lost out on the ice. But the player fans hate to see go through this the most is undoubtedly Henrik Lundqvist.

However, that does not seem to be the case this year. Not by a long shot.

Nobody knows what the deal is. Lundqvist changed his skates over the summer to a pair more in the forward-mold. Therefore, he’s now a lot quicker on his feet.

Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault seems to be resting The King a bit more, playing in only 16 of the 20 games to date.

Regardless of what is going on, the Rangers should keep doing it. The famous saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” easily applies here, and is the truth.

Lundqivst currently sits at the top of the leader boards in Goals Against Average with 1.85, a Save Percentage of .943, and is in a four-way tie for 11 wins.

The question for the day is this: Do the Rangers possess the best goalie in the NHL at the moment?

Take a look at all the numbers and the Rangers current standing, (15-3-2, 32 points, first in the Eastern Conference, third in the NHL) and you will have your answer.

NYY

NYM

NYG

NYJ

NYK

BKN

NYR

NYI

NJD

SJU

NYC

NRB


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It is a very good sign to see Lundqvist jumping out of the gate and hitting the ground running this season. This is great for right now, but you have to being to worry for the post season.

Yes, it is only November but this season is rapidly moving. It is going to be March before you know it and the Rangers need Lundqvist to be fresh for May.

Just examine the saves that have been made every game. His legs look great so far. Lundqvist is able to make acrobatic movements much like the save against Montreal in the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal.

Every single year, the downfall to this team in the playoffs has been their fatigue. Lundqvist is noticeably slower during the final stretch of the regular season, AV knows this.

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So resting Lundqvist is a great idea. As mentioned above he has sat out more often this season and this is a good thing. It does not mean anything against him, it simply means he needs his rest.

The same thing happened with defenseman Dan Girardi, a quick demotion to the second pairing on the blueline revitalized his legs and has not looked back since.

Henrik Lundqvist has surpassed the records of greats like Ed Giacomin and Mike Richter, and is currently setting new ones every year.

Lundqvist is the number one Rangers goaltender in wins with 346, surpassing Richter who had 301. Lundqivst also sits atop the list in shutouts with 56, seven more than Giacomin.

Taking an overall look at this, it is very easy to see why Henrik Lundqvist is so special. There are many players on this Rangers roster that are great, but Lundqvist is the first person you think of.

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If the Blueshirts want any chance at getting a Stanley Cup in the next few seasons, Lundqvist is going to be the key.

He is already the back bone to the team, and during the playoffs has the entire city resting on his back.

As of right now, Lundqvist looks to be fresher than ever. This is nothing but music to the ears of Rangers fans as he leads the team into battle every night.

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I love watching sports, specifically teams in New York. I'll root for all New York teams, but the New York Rangers and hockey are my number one. I am an avid hockey fan and enjoy expressing my opinion on the Blueshirts, when they are playing good and bad.