The New York Rangers’ 2-week break ended last night with a tight game win at the conclusion of a 9 round shootout against the Boston Bruins.

• 31-13-4
• 66 points in 48 games
• 6th in the league standings
• Current spread of points for the top 16 is Colorado (72) to Edmonton/LAK (55)

In that time off, many teams played re-scheduled games and now the league is much closer to parity in total games played. The Rangers have 3 rescheduled to play which I think don’t happen until March. But at 48 games, that leaves 34 games left to play in the regular season so we’re a decent amount into the second half of the season already. And things remain looking good.

Beating Boston is a much-needed win; they’re a solid team who is fighting to stay in playoff contention. Last night was a game of inches–a goalie showcase on both ends of the ice–and the Rangers managed to not only tie the game (great to have Chytil come back after missing 6 games AND score a goal) but to take the second point from Boston in such a close contest. K’Andre Miller adds to his value with the surprise-winning shot in the shootout.

The Rangers had another slow start (out shot 8-2 in the 1st period) but rallied to compete in the rest of the game. Adam Fox is also back and Kappo Kakko is going to be out for at least another month. That’s shocking. His upper-body injury from a month ago now is much more serious than anyone thought. In other Defense developments, Braden Schneider and Zac Jones continue to get more ice time (an added benefit from Patrik Nemeth being MIA) and they are clearly getting more confident.

So looking at the rankings and the schedule, the Rangers have benefits and drawbacks ahead. The 2-week break should be an overall benefit. They are now the most rested team and beating Boston is a great sign coming back. Detroit and Ottawa are next and compared to Boston, neither of them is good. Confident wins but the Rangers can’t get lazy. Every point matters from here on out and all positive momentum (win streaks) is valuable for a good mindset as the playoffs get closer.

Their schedule is relatively easy in terms of games being spread out and how many road games are left. The majority are at home, that’s a big bonus. But there are a lot of top-tier games left to go. Every divisional game that isn’t against the Devils, Flyers, or Islanders, is against a team this is in, or fighting for, a playoff spot. All dangerous. The big one is Pittsburg who is now first in the Metro division (4 points ahead of Rangers, 3 points ahead of Carolina). They’ve been strong all season and are making big waves now. The first game against them is on the 26th (and then 2 games close together a month later). Washington isn’t pleased about Pitt taking off but Boston’s loss last night helps them in their time of struggle (27-15-9).

Tampa (1), Blues (2), Carolina (3), Minnesota (1), Washington (2), Boston (1) are all major threats and likely the hardest contests remaining. Staying healthy is super important and the trade deadline is about a month away and many people think moves will be made (could JT Miller be brought back?!). A lot to keep an eye on as every single day the standings adjust because so many teams are so close in points. The battle for the wild card spots will likely be very close this season.