When the New York Rangers were in the thick of things in December, it seemed like the team would never come out of it.
They had trouble keeping the puck out of their net, putting the puck in the net, making simple plays, making smart plays, and doing all the little things that are necessary to win hockey games. Simply put, they looked like a team that deserved to be sitting near the bottom of the standings in the Metropolitan Division, Eastern Conference, and even the NHL, which is where they were for a bit.
Fast forward to today (Monday night, January 20), and things are starting to look up for the Blueshirts. The Rangers are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games and, as of this writing, are four points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 22-20-4 record for 48 points.
There are a few reasons why the Rangers are starting to play better. For starters, they are doing a much better job defensively.
The team has allowed 11 goals in their last five games. Five of those goals came in the team’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night, January 19.
Part of that reason has been the play of goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Here is what Shesterkin has done for the team in his last five starts:
- January 9 vs. the New Jersey Devils: Stopped 21 of 23 shots in an overtime victory
- January 11 vs. the Vegas Golden Knights: Stopped 29 of 30 shots and got the victory
- January 14 vs. the Colorado Avalanche: Stopped 23 of 26 shots in an overtime loss
- January 16 vs. the Utah Hockey Club: Stopped 28 of 31 shots and got the victory
- January 18 vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets: 27-save shutout victory
After missing several games with an upper-body injury, Shesterkin, 29, is starting to look like his old self between the pipes for his hockey club. The team will need him to be just that if they want to have any chance of getting into the postseason.
Another reason why the Rangers are starting to have some success is because some of their big-time players have started to step up their games. A good example of this has been the play of Mika Zibanejad.
Zibanejad, 31, who currently (As of Monday night, January 20) has just 28 points this season (nine goals and 19 assists), is playing with a lot more energy, is going hard to the net, is putting more pucks on the net, and is being a factor on a nightly basis. This was missing for a good portion of the season.
Vincent Trocheck is also another good example of a player who has stepped up. Yes, he currently (As of Monday night, January 20) only has 29 points (14 goals and 15 assists), but he makes an impact every game by winning face-offs, blocking shots, being a pest, and being a leader on and off the ice.
Lastly, the Rangers are starting to find the system that helped them be so successful last season. This system includes timely goal-scoring, finding ways to come from behind, playing smart defensively, getting good goaltending, and believing in themselves.
The team’s record could be a lot different over the last month had they not given away points to the Dallas Stars (5-4 overtime loss), Avalanche (3-2 overtime loss), and the Canadiens (5-4 overtime loss). Had the Blueshirts won those games, they would probably be sitting in a wild card spot right now.
The Rangers still have a lot of work to do to put themselves into a playoff spot and then stay there the rest of the way. With that said, if they continue to play the way they are playing right now, good things could end up happening come April.
