47-20-4

A three game week that went 2-1, more good than bad for sure. A tough game with Winnipeg was an uphill match for the entire 60 minutes. The Rangers looked tired but they did everything they could to fight back. The loss was pretty much because Hellebuyck had his goal on lockdown. Rempe’s suspension was over but he was kept out as a healthy scratch and despite the loss, Lafreniere had a great game. In a twist, the Jets have lost the last 3 games since.

Next was an amazing game against Boston, who were in first place in the league. This was possibly the best defensive game we’ve seen this season despite giving up two goals. All Star Quick saved the game in the first period with some wild saves that kept his team in the game. This gave time for Panarin to hit the turbo button for his third hat trick of the season! Miller, Schneider, and Jones all had tremendous moments. Oh, and Rempe was back on the ice.

Last night was a slobber knocker against Florida. The Panthers won the previous 2 meetings and the Rangers were able to rally from behind again, thanks to Fox and again Panarin. Down two goals by the first 30 seconds in the second period, it looked bleak. Florida was shutting down everything and then one play worked, giving Fox a clear shot at the goal which blew by Bobvrosky. A rare thing against Bobv. That sparked the home crowd and their team into a feeding frenzy. It was a night and day difference as the Rangers controlled the play for the next two minutes where Panarin tied the game. The game evened out right after that and it was even until Florida scored with just over 5 minutes left in the game. Panarin got a lucky bounce 2 minutes later to tie the game again. A hair-rasing overtime saw Trocheck save a goal (he had a tremendous game) and Zibanejad and Panarin brought home the win in the shootout. The only negative I really saw in this game was Gustafsson. He made a few bad decisions.

The season is almost over and the standings are as tight as can be. We’ve reached the “stay healthy or else” part of the season as the gauntlet starts now with 11 games left before the playoffs. It sounds like Trouba will be back soon and Lindgren is already skating, so those are good signs. I’d say in about 2 weeks, we’ll see a few players get pulled to rest them for the playoffs.

45-19-4

8 out of 10 points! A stacked 5 games in a week, starting and ending with a back-to-back. This was some wild hockey with three games against divisional rivals and winning all of them.

The game against the Devils was pretty close, the third goal being an empty net and Carolina was a playoff series calibur nailbiter. Amazing defense on both sides, the game winner was from a lucky bounce off an opponent from Fox. Pittsburgh was the opposite, just loosie goosie defense but the Rangers’ superior scoring depth brought home the win. The Islanders started well by leading in the first period, but the second period was almost all Rangers. Three goals to the Islanders one, and then two more in the third to cap off what felt like an easy win. All three of those teams are fighting to get into the final wildcard spot for the playoffs and the Rangers did them no favors.

The Tampa game was rough. The Rangers had a two-goal lead and then lost control. Gave up three in a row, tied it, and then lost all control. It basically became the Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov show. This team is playing like they want to make the playoffs.

The other negative of the week is that Ryan Lindgren got hurt in the Islander game. Took an awkward fall after a check into the boards and watching the replay, there’s serious concern that he could have a season-ending knee injury. That would be, uh, bad. Lindgren is a beast of a defenseman and a fan favorite. He goes all out every night and losing him for the playoffs would be a huge loss. Still no word on the injury and we can only hope it isn’t serious.

When Trouba was called out for 2-3 weeks, I thought newly acquired defenseman, Chad Ruhwedel would be put in (he will be playing with Lindgren out). Zac Jones was called up instead and it has paid off. I think he’s playing the best hockey we’ve ever seen from his early career. He’s tallied 2 assists this week by playing fast and smart. Really impressive considering how much time he’s been a healthy scratch. Says a lot about his mental fortitude and athletic conditioning to be able to come in basically cold and do so well. Shows a lot of promise for his future. In addition, Schneider was moved up to play with Miller and that pairing is working especially well. Miller is probably playing his best right now.

The team as a whole is playing really well. The special teams have been good, the penalty kill being better. Zibanejad in particular is worth noting as it looks like he’s coming out of his slumber. He finally broke his 5v5 goal drought, he even got two this week along with a power play goal and an assist. Kakko also looks like he’s heating up with 2 goals this week. That whole third line is starting to thrive and if he stays this active and strong he could put up some points in this final stretch and pop off in the playoffs like he did two seasons ago. Lafreniere is in the same boat with a goal and 2 assists, but he’s had a more fortuitous 2 months or so flying around the second line with Trochek and Panarin.

Finally, the other two additions to the team have been blending in well. Jack Roslovic on the first line looks like a great fit. One goal and 2 assists this week…he can keep up with Zibanejad and Kreider. The more time they play together the more he’s going to integrate with them. It’s not a coincidence that his linemates are now consistently putting points up. Alex Wennberg centering the third line is working too. Already mentioned Kakko’s comfort on this line and Cuylle continues his great first full season. When needed mixing in Vesey works well and Brodzinski is making the most of the ice time he gets.

The big takeaway from the last 6 games is that the Rangers have depth on the roster. It’s been a while for that. It’s a slower week with three games, but they’re all killers. The pressure remains on.

41-18-4

Rangers went 1-1 this week, losing to Florida in a close, hard game (expected) and beating St. Louis (expected) 4-0 for Shesterkin’s second doughnut this season. It made up for the meatball he let in against Florida, which cost the game. I will also note that I think Miller had his best game in weeks. Florida has been racking up wins and is now first in the league. They landed some major trades this week, making them (probably) significantly better, which is a daunting prospect. They are all in for the Cup.

The Rangers had little trouble tonight against St. Louis, who are in the middle of giving up for the season. All four lines played well, with no major mistakes and Shesterkin was more than ready for the few high chance shots that made it to him. Three power play goals sealed the win. With four days off this kind of game should have happened. Other highlights are seeing Rempe play well (he had a goal waved off and played his most minutes, 10) and Zac Jones stepping up to fill in for Trouba (Miller was paired with Schneider) Now there are 6 games in 9 days so the playoff test experience begins now.

I thought the Rangers would settle all their trades well before Friday, but they didn’t. The other surprise was that no blockbuster trades were made, which is rare to see for this team, especially when so far up in the standings (5th in the league, 4 points ahead of Carolina for first in the division).

Jack Roslovic from Columbus (a forward) and Alex Wennberg from Seattle (a forward) played tonight. Not only did they both play well, Wennberg got an assist! Wennberg in particular looked comfortable centering the third line. I also noticed that they’re fast skaters which is needed. These two aren’t all stars but it looks like they’re going to fit in quickly and make a positive change which is the point of making trades. While it wasn’t a challenging game per se, it’s a good sign to see them both get over 15 minutes of ice time and I’m more optimistic than I was on Friday when the trade deadline ended.

The other trade made was for Chad Ruhwedel from Pittsburgh (defenceman). He didn’t play tonight but he should be reliable on defense. He’s not known for scoring points, but he’s solid on the PK and has playoff experience. I’m looking forward to seeing him play. I imagine we’ll see him more than Jones from here on out.

All three players didn’t cost much either. No current roster player was traded away and some draft picks that likely won’t be missed in the future. That said, without a major rightwing trade for the first line made, the pressure is now even higher for Kreider and especially Zibanejad to regularly score. The second line can’t carry the weight alone any longer. When the playoffs start, if they aren’t playing at their best, it will likely be a short post-season run.

40-17-4

Just two games this week with revenge on Columbus to make the February record 10-1. The score was 4-1, but that’s with two empty net goals and the game felt like it could slip away at any moment. Columbus couldn’t clear that hurtle this time which brings us to tonight’s nailbiter against Toronto.

4-3 shoot out win for Toronto. This one felt more or less like a playoff game. Very close through the whole game with neither team holding on to more than a one-goal lead for too long. It started with the Rangers goal, then Toronto tied it in the second period. Rangers took the lead back quickly but Toronto tied it up again. In the third, Toronto took the lead in the first quarter of the game and it wasn’t until 1:08 left that Trocheck tied the game with the goalie pulled. Rangers dominated OT but couldn’t take the win. The shootout was very close with Toronto getting 2 goals in 4 rounds.

It was an exciting game from start to finish, evenly matched for sure. It felt like each team made the same amount of mistakes which kept everyone on their toes. Toronto had 2 deflection goals so no fault on Igor there. Lafreniere is on fire along with Trocheck. This one just slipped away from them. This is the type of game where we all expect Kreider and Zibanejad to hit the star power for a goal but it didn’t happen. The first line not scoring is now the biggest problem. Managing a point was important at least. It secured second place in the league with Florida now on top for the first time this season by two points. The big surprise today was the Islanders easily beating Boston (5-1) and Buffalo running over Las Vegas (7-2). Looking at the standings now, Las Vegas has lost the most footing out of all of the top teams this month. Boston keeps going to overtime, they’re tied with the Islanders in OT points (14) which is keeping them in the top 3 of the league.

The trade deadline is in a week and the strong rumors are that the Rangers’ front office has their eye on two Ducks players. I don’t think we’ll be waiting a week for a deal to happen. We’re going to need additional firepower because…

….while the Rangers coasted through February, the schedule for March is a different story. The team will need to get all their rest in the first week because 11-23 is a gauntlet. 8 games in 13 days. I mean look at this:

And then it’s only two days off in a row and right back into every other night. None of those games will be anywhere close to easy. The hope is that NJ, Pittsburg, and St. Louis keep falling over themselves, but two of those are major rivalries so their effort will be boosted no matter what. Aside from that, it isn’t until the last game of the month against Arizona that there’s a massive advantage.