50-20-4

There were three regulation losses and one shootout loss. Ten wins. They end the month on a five game win streak. First team to 100 points, first team to 50 wins, first place in the league, and first place in the Metropolitan division for over 145 days. And there are more milestones, just in the last game against Arizona.

The first win of the week was a buck wild 6-5 OT win against the Flyers, who are currently out of the playoffs, giving up their spot to Washington who also jumped over the floundering Red Wings and Islanders. Even though the Flyers are wavering, they are a pain in the neck. They gave up a two goal lead by giving up 3 in a row and then kept trying the game all the way to 5 goals each as the Rangers kept trying to put them down. Overtime lasted about 30 seconds.

Next, Colorado who are at the top of their game. It took everything the Rangers had to keep up enough pressure to come back from a goal down and then keep the game tied at two a piece. A rollicking shootout did a header into overtime where Panarin and Trocheck put on a show and Shesterkin locked down his net.

The bottom of the rankings, Arizona Coyotes, played like they had rabies, refusing to go down much like the Flyers. They put up 14 goals in their previous two games to win each (the 8-4 stunner against the rampaging Nashville Predators was something to behold) and continued their flurry against the Rangers. But in this match, the Rangers’ offensive power was too great. I mean, Zac Jones scored a beauty and Goodrow scored short handed! He hasn’t scored in like three months. And here are the huge milestones from this single game:

Jonathan Quick gets his 392nd NHL win for most by a U.S.-born goaltender; Lafreniere with his first hat trick (and he had two assists!); Fox with his 300th point (2 assists), and Krieder with his 300th goal as a Ranger.

The team is just on a heater. Another fun stat: Panarin has 13 points in the last 5 games. In Arizona, he had a goal and three assists. He’s at 107 total points for the year with 8 to go. Lindgren and Trouba are back from injury but Gustovson is out (which means Jones stays in the line up). If they can keep this focus going into the playoffs…watch out.

The tests this week are major rivals, the Penguins and Devils. Both are out of the playoffs and if they lose, I think it seals an early ending to their seasons. They’ll be going all out for every competitive reason in the book. The last time the Penguins were in the playoffs, the Rangers knocked them out of the first round in game seven. The Devils knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs in the first round last season so the knives will be out.