Look at that! After beating the Oilers last night (4-1, what a revenge!) the New York Rangers are in first place in the entire league. This is incredible. The team hit a bit of a slump just before the Christmas break, something like 1-2-1. Then coming back from the break (which was more than a week of no games), lost in a shootout to the Panthers after losing control in the 3rd period and giving up the lead. Rough loss. A few guys got sidelined because of Covid protocol in the following three games. But every single game was won. Shootout win vs Tampa, then a clean win against Tampa again in a home-and-home contest which went right into playing Edmonton.

The Oilers have been struggling for at least 3 weeks now and the Rangers picked up what other teams have been doing to them. Stay close to McDavid and Draisaitl to slow them down because stick checking doesn’t do enough, they’re too skilled (especially McDavid). That pairing is a huge part of their scoring power, the rest of the team isn’t producing enough. Stay out of the penalty box and that takes away a huge advantage with–again–that pair.

The Rangers are absolutely clicking now. Amazing defense, especially last night. Fantastic communication and effort from everyone. If a mistake is made, others are there to help out. Rock solid goaltending from both Shesterkin and Georgiev. More players are getting points. If Chytil and Gauthier can break through…hoo boy. Zac Jones is on the taxi squad and has been put in twice and he did really well. He was thrown in the deep end to defend against some of the best players in the league and he stood strong. He’s been doing great in the AHL and it’s translating into the NHL. Really promising.

Now it’s to the west coast for a 5 game road trip. Exciting times, to say the least. The margin for error is razor-thin, just like at those standings. There are only 5 points between first and 8th place. 2 points for first to fourth place! The Rangers are in first because they have more regulation wins over Washington. Every game is important but the momentum is behind the Rangers now. We’re seeing team depth on ice now and that’s the key to success (just look at Edmonton).