The New York Rangers have found some consistency, and it couldn’t be coming at a better time. Here are 5 reasons to feel optimistic.
By Chris Wengert
That’s 10 out of a possible 14 points against teams like Pittsburgh, Boston, Florida, and Los Angeles. That is certainly not too shabby considering the slumps the Rangers have endured this season.
And if Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins was a playoff game with regular 5v5 overtime, I say that Rangers win that game.
With the playoffs a little more than two weeks away, it’s time to prepare ourselves for what may, or may not lie ahead. But either way, I can assure you of one thing.
Rangers’ fans are in for plenty of stress and anxiety.
But in the end if all the stress and anxiety means that the Rangers will make another deep run, it will certainly be worth the jars and jars of tums.
In preparation for this endeavor, let’s take a look at some of the reasons the Blueshirt Faithful should feel optimistic heading into the playoffs.
Eric Staal Is Finding His Game
It seems like whenever I call out a player in an article, that player will undoubtedly produce the following game.
But hey, I love being wrong in those instances.
It seems like the Hayes-Staal-Fast is a grouping that Eric Staal really seems to feel comfortable with, and the results spoke for themselves against Pittsburgh.
Eric Staal Scores Twice Against Pittsburgh (Video)
It was amazing to see what happened once Staal made the decision to shoot the puck, rather than pass (quite literally) on opportunities. His one handed goal against the Pens was not only an amazing demonstration of effort, but also strength.
Kevin Hayes plays a similar game to Staal and both players are very talented, so it would be something if they could continue to help spark each other’s game moving forward.
Jesper Fast adds strong play against the boards, a good forecheck, and speed to the line. As Rangers’ fans know, an effective bottom six is huge in the playoffs, and this line has the potential to be better than the 2014 Zucc/Pouliot/Brassard line.
The Rangers Are Healthy This Year
Don’t get me wrong, I’m obviously not in the locker room and I’m sure there are players who are banged up, but the Rangers are very lucky to have only one player currently sitting out with an injury (Dylan McIlrath).
Last season we all witnessed what can happen to a team that is littered with injuries. In fact, it was a miracle the Rangers made it as far as they did last year with all of the injuries they suffered.
Keith Yandle, Ryan McDonagh, and Dan Girardi all sustained injuries throughout the playoffs, not to mention that awful Mats Zuccarello head injury.
Kevin Klein was also coming off of a broken arm while Martin St. Louis was never the same after suffering a sprained knee.
The playoffs are not here just yet, but the fact that the Rangers have stayed relatively healthy the past month is yet another reason to be optimistic.
Fingers crossed.
Henrik Lundqvist Is Still The King
Here are Hanks stats for this season thus far:
Lundqvist has had his rough spots, notably December, but that was during a time in which the whole team was struggling. The Rangers defense content at allowing opponents park in the slot during that stretch, so it would be unfair to paint Hank with broad strokes for one bad month.
Needless to say, the King of New York is back.
Henrik has proved that he is a big-time goalie in the past, despite what haters will say from to time. Remember this gem?
The only thing better than Lundqvist’s save was probably Doc Emrick’s call of the save. He’s one of the best in the business.
Despite all of the issues that the Rangers have dealt with this season, whether it be an unreliable defense or stars who have gone M.I.A., one thing is for sure.
If you have Henrik Lundqvist in goal, your team will have a shot.
Rick Nash Is Hungry
Listen, Nash is not the superstar that he once was in Columbus, he’s just not. But he has become an invaluable two-way player that was sorely missed while he was recovering from a bone bruise.
Nash is backchecking, scoring (well, starting to), and producing scoring chances. It’s also not a coincidence that the penalty kill has improved upon Nash’s return to the lineup.
All Rangers fans know and understand how valuable an effective Rick Nash could be in the playoffs.
And that is exactly the question. Will Rick Nash finally find his stride in the post-season?
I’m not ready to quit on Nash just yet, as I think he can and will produce for the Rangers throughout the spring.
Alain Vigneault Is Making Smarter Choices
It has been interesting to watch the evolution of the Rangers power play this season. It has been even more interesting to see our power play quarterback dispatched with the second unit night after night.
Until now.
I don’t know what it was, but AV finally realized that Keith Yandle is much more valuable on the first power play unit. I mean, it’s not like Yandle was acquired for those skills or anything…
And the good decisions don’t end there.
It seems like the Rangers finally have an effective bottom six in their lineup for the first time since, dare I say, 2014. These two lines have been able to pick up the slack when the top six aren’t producing.
Hayes-E.Staal-Fast
Glass-Moore-Stalberg
While I discussed Nash’s attributes and contributions earlier I could have easily thrown Viktor Stalberg‘s name into the same mix, as he is another player who looks determined to win every night.
Hopefully AV will continue to demonstrate this trend of rational thinking.
So are the Rangers in a perfect situation? Of course not. But they have given their fans plenty of reasons why they should be optimistic as the playoffs approach.
So how are you feeling? Guarded? Optimistic as well? Or does this team simply not have the firepower in your opinion?
Been a Ranger fan for over 50 years and hate to say this, but this is nnot. A clutch team