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.

39-17-3

After the rousing Stadium Series come back win, the Rangers wave continued through Dallas with a hard-fought 2-1 victory. Then, it was on to New Jersey, where an absolute dominant 5-1 clinic was laid out. Next was a toe-to-toe war with Philadelphia where the Flyers did everything they could to tie the game, but the Rangers squeaked the 2-1 lead through the final seconds (seriously, the Flyers barely missed a goal with 6 seconds remaining).

That brought us to 10 wins in a row and this evening’s 5th game in a week versus Columbus. They’re not good, wallowing in the bottom quarter of the league. But what I was afraid of happening, happened. In the 10th back-to-back of the season, the Rangers ran out of gas. The Flyers took a lot out of them, it was 60 minutes of peak physical hockey. Columbus dominated the entire game. Quick did everything he could to keep his team in the game but they couldn’t keep up. The Rangers managed to tie the game twice but the mistakes kept stacking up. Slow and sloppy, the Rangers gave up an absurd amount of center-ice high-chance slot shots.

This has been a crazy month for the Rangers. This is only the 3rd time in franchise history they’ve won ten times in a row. 1971-72 was the last season it happened. In the 2015-16 season, they hit nine. This week in particular was arguably one of the best stretches they’ve had in recent memory. Crazy comebacks, tight wins, fantastic defense, Shesterkin returning to form (currently 6 wins in a row) and Matt Rempe hit the NHL and everyone knows about him now. Rempe keeps getting challenged during warm-ups to fight and he’s like ‘OK!” I hope it stops because it’s reached the point where he’s fighting more than boxers do. Getting into full-fledged fist fights every other day is not healthy.

It’s been an absolute rollercoaster. It’s disappointing that the fuse that was lit almost a month ago just fizzled out. Losing to Columbus like that is rather embarrassing and that’s the second time they’ve won this season (Columbus is now at 19 regulation wins). This week is much calmer. Starting with Columbus at MSG on Wednesday, I think it’s safe to say revenge will be had. Then it’s Toronto (who are now playing well) on Saturday and that’s it for the week. The Rangers were so close to a flawless month! But thems the breaks and the Rangers remain at the top of the league, behind Vancouver by one point and tied for second with Boston at 81 points.

36-16-3

Seven wins in a row and it has been some ride.

The last game of January was a sound win against Ottowa and February started with Quick in net to defeat Colorado and Tampa. Igor took over for a squeaky OT win against Chicago which brings us to this week’s three wins.

Igor got his first lights-out game of the season against Calgary, who came into the Garden hot and the Rangers played exceptionally well to win. The defense made some serious moves and Igor looked like his old self in that 2-0 win. Vesey’s hustle to seal the win with the second goal likely got him the first-line gig since Wheeler got a season-ending leg injury against Montreal.

Next, Quick was in net for the next win against Montreal in a goofy 7-4 game where defense on both sides seemed to be optional. The Rangers were fortunate enough to have the first flurry of goals and were able to answer back on each Canadian goal to keep a buffered lead.

Tonight’s Stadium series versus the Islanders at MetLife Stadium was another one for the books. Rangers took the lead at the very beginning with their first shot on goal and then the defense fell apart, seeing the Islanders quickly go up 3-1 in the first period. Then 4-1 at the start of the second. The Rangers rallied back to 4-3, but again fell behind at the start of the third, 5-3. The Islanders then left the door open with successive penalties and the Rangers were able to run through it starting with only 4 minutes left in the game.

Panarin’s final magic trick in overtime stole this game 6-5 from the Islanders who played the game better for longer. Igor let in, I’d say one meatball. There was nothing he could do against the deflected goals (something Sorokin knows well) but the defense kept letting him down. Miller let one guy go by him, Brodzinski inadvertently chipped a puck to his open opponent, who was open because Lindgren got an incidental high stick to the face which put him down, letting his man go undefended.

But…everyone’s been yelling for the top players to put some points up and they did! Trocheck had a hell of a game with two glorious goals (one amazing deflection off of Panarin and a ferociously scrappy battle in front of the net). Plus, he had a fight that turned the momentum entirely in the Rangers’ favor. Another bonus was Matt Rempe playing in his first game. He didn’t play many minutes but on his first shift, he fought an NHL veteran and held his own. He should since he’s 6′ 7″ and probably has a 4-foot reach. So hey, we’ll take all the two points and move forward. We could do with less of the Rangers’ bad habits though.

Next week: Dallas, NJ, Philly. Statistically, Dallas is easily the best team and the biggest challenge. The other two are major rivalries so they aren’t going to be easy. They could get away with losing to Dallas and beat NJ and Philly to keep their solid grip on first place in the Metro. The Rangers are currently tied for third place in the league, so everyone is gunning for them.

33-16-3

The week of games has seen the Rangers extend their win streak to 4. Colorado, Tampa, and Chicago. Colorado and Tampa were close and difficult games where all aspects of the game were tested. It looks like the All-Star break came at a good time and opened the door for a team reset. This week we’ve seen fewer mistakes in general, better passing, and better defense. Quick was given an extended stay in net to give Shesterkin time to practice more and try and get his head back in the game (he’s been missing many pucks he’s more than capable of stopping). Quick looked rock solid as he was fast, focused, and aggressive. He only gave up one goal each to Colorado and Tampa.

While they defeated Chicago 4-3, it was done in overtime after rallying to go from one goal down to 3 goals up. A lazy third period was dominated by Chicago, one of the worst teams in the league, with them scoring twice in the last 6 minutes of the game. Thankfully Zibabejad scored in OT and there was less celebration and more a sigh of relief on that one.

The reoccurring problem of the killer drive fading away came back very quickly. The first line is barely scoring points (that was Zibanejad’s first goal in 8 games. Only his 15th of the season with 30 left to go) which bangs the drum that a really good RW for that line is desperately needed. Everyone knows Wheeler ain’t it and it looks like Kaapo Kakko is starting to gel with Cuylle and Brodzinski on the third line so they likely won’t move him back up (plus there are rumors he’ll be used as a trade chip). Something needs to be done to get the first line firing again, but it’s not like Zibanejad isn’t trying. I think a big part of it is that teams have figured out how to counter him. He’s too predictable (esp on the power play) and the first line just isn’t aggressive enough. They are obsessed with one-timers or deflections. Zibanejad needs to get directly in front of the net more.

In addition, the Power Play is now dead. 0-13 in the last 5 games I believe. The Penalty Kill has been solid, so that balances things out a bit. One bright spot is that Lafreniere is playing well and if he keeps improving he’s going to be a massive threat come playoff time. The problems that remain: bad passes, less than 60 minutes of effort and focus, and Shesterkin needs to find his mojo again.

30-16-3

A loss to Vegas and a win against Ottawa bring the New York Rangers team skidding into the All Star break. While the 7-2 win over Ottawa was fun to watch and a good sign, it was expected because Ottawa is last in the league. Plus it was a rally game, Rangers being down 2-0 in the 2nd period. I don’t think they would have been allowed back in New York if they didn’t win.

Still, scoring 5 goals in the 2nd period is a good sign. They were finally able to take advantage of an opposing team’s mistakes and make accurate shots. Once their own mistakes stopped (Miller’s horrific pass attempt that turned into a breakaway and goal) the misery largely stopped. It did look like the Rangers team from November was back on the ice.

But that team wasn’t there for Vegas. Or San Jose (!) or the recent .500 stretch of games. There’s serious dysfunction that needs to be fixed and that’s a tall order. Especially with Filip Chytil being done for the season. He played 10 games this season and got a concussion. After 3 months it looked like he was a week or two away from coming back when he had another episode at practice. It’s unclear what happened, he was on the ice in a no-contact capacity with 2 teammates and he went down and could not get back up on his own for many minutes. His goal is now to come back for the 2024 season and we all wish him well in his recovery.

This means a 3rd line center is now needed along with an excellent right wing and defense man. With Chytil’s contract money now being able to be used, that gives Drury around $4.8 million to get all of that done. I don’t there’s much room to work with on prospects or draft picks to trade. Some players whose contracts are up next season could be used as trade chips. The fact is with the defense being so bad and the top players being ice-cold, big moves could be coming to keep this season from going underwater. Many of the top players have huge contracts and no move clauses so they aren’t going anywhere. That makes the younger players susceptible to being moved. The pressure is going to be turned up come February 5th. Some guys could be playing to stay in New York. Prove that this is a rut and not a systemic problem.

Chris Drury has a lot to figure out and soon. I don’t think there are many really good centers on the trade block, so there likely will be tough negotiations needed and the Rangers may only have enough assets for 2 players. If things don’t get sorted, a lot of jobs could be on the line next season. The core that’s been here since 2018 (Kreider, Trouba, Zibanejad, Miller, Lindgren) will likely have their final seasons.

With limited outside movement available, what about blowing up the lines? Is this a coaching issue? Does Laviollete need to be more aggressive? Gallant refused to change lines or do much coaching at all and that got him the axe. There’s been this weird multiple-year-long stubbornness to keep a lot of pairings together (Kreider/Zibanejad, Fox/Lindgren, Trouba/Miller) no matter what. I don’t think it would be the end of the world to break them up to see if new chemistry can be made with new lines. Since there are so few on-ice reactions now, why wouldn’t you change the regents to see if something sparks? For example, Lindgren is hurt and Zac Jones was called up. Trouba is suspended 2 games for clocking a Vegas player with an elbow and this 27-year-old 6′ 4″ monster named Connor Mackey was called up. Jones has been wobbly every game he’s been called up for this year but he played by far his best game against Ottawa with Panarin. Mackey, I have no idea where he came from, but he came to play. He was flying out there throwing his weight around and got into a fight with one of the roughest players in the league, Brady Tkachuk, and held his own. He was like a lit match out there and he inspired the team to keep charging forward as a unit. It was awesome.

Please, give us more of that.

29-15-3

On the previous lengthy west road trip, the Rangers went swept 5-0 at the start of the season. That was then, and this 1-2-1 dreck is now. That’s 3 points out of 8. That’s leaving the door open for everyone in the Metro to catch up. The bright side is that the other teams have been catching some Ls too.

The other horrific side of this is tonight’s 2-0 blown lead against the Sharks, losing in OT. The Sharks are terrible. I mean bottom of the league terrible. I’m so mad I can’t double-check if they are in 31st or 32nd. And again, the other team scores twice against the Rangers barely 2 minutes apart. The first one was from a dumb turnover that got shot from a weird angle and the second was deflected in. Neither were really Shesterkin’s fault (especially the deflection) but it’s just obscene with these losses. The power play didn’t score on three chances which is unacceptable against a team like this. Way too passive, way too many passes. The whole game they weren’t aggressive enough. Two good periods and then an egg. The killer instinct has disappeared and it keeps biting them in the ass. Embarrassing. They let 3 points slip away on this trip.

They host Vegas on Friday and then go to Ottawa on Saturday before the All-Star break. Vegas is always a challenge, having just lost to them last week even with them missing 3 of their top players along with 4 others. Ottawa is currently circling the drain but that doesn’t mean much with how the Rangers are playing now. They cannot think “oh, we’ll fix this during the break.” Nope. That motivation to put grinding boots to the ice is due in two days people. Those four points have to be chased after, then you can rest.

The list of teams they wouldn’t be able to beat just ballooned to scary proportions and I do not like it. Meanwhile, Edmonton have won 14 games in a row to resurrect their entire season. Everyone was ready to bury them in a ditch until October months ago so if they can turn things around, the Rangers can pull off less-than a full on miracle now.

26-12-2

January has been terrible so far. 1-3-1. The Rangers have just hit 3 losses in a row, the worst of the season. They’re playing at what looks like 50% right now losing to the nest and the worst in the league. Of the total 14 losses so far, I think 8 have been blowout losses. It’s been concerning and it’s not getting better.

I mean, look at what’s happened this month:

Carolina and Vancouver are top of the league. Chicago is terrible so that win had to happen. Montreal isn’t much better making that OT loss bad–which the Rangers were down 0-3 in the 2nd period–and St. Louis is barely over NHL .500.

The problems, most of them old:

• Terrible defensive mistakes. Schneider and Miller are so sloppy right now it doesn’t make sense. Adam Fox hasn’t been the same since coming back from his injury. He’s been getting some assists, but goals are far and few in between, and he’s making uncharacteristic mistakes. Gustafsson has gone ice-cold points-wise. Zac Jones is looking more and more like the AHL is the peak of his hockey skill.
• With the defense being so porous (bare effort stick checking doesn’t work in the NHL much!) the goaltending has gotten ugly.
• Turnovers. Good lord the passing is bad. It’s like the David Quinn years.
• Turnovers lead to breakaway chances which is killing this team now.
• Injuries have taken their toll and the water in the luck well has run out. The 2nd line has been the only consistent production line all season. The first line scores in spurts and it’s usually only on the power play (speaking of Zibanejad and Kreider in particular). The first line is like dead right now. Vessey and Cuylle are the only bottom six forwards who are doing anything positive. The rest are slow and cannot score. When the top two lines are producing, the bottom two just need to be competent with as few mistakes as possible to win games. That has stopped. If it wasn’t for Trocheck and Panarin having career seasons, whoo boy.

So the ship is in rough seas and coach Laviolette has his work cut out for him. There are no players to call up that have the skills to make a major difference. Kaapo Kakko is about to come back from injury, possibly tomorrow against Washington. He’s needed and hopefully when he does come back he isn’t too rusty. Wheeler on the first line is a failure so let’s get Kakko back there. Hopefully, Zibanejad isn’t sick for long and it doesn’t spread through the team. The garbage passing has to stop. Most of the problems seem to be more or less from bad on ice decisions. And then there is bad puck luck…the Rangers have greatly out-shot the last 3 teams but haven’t gotten that blessed hockey god second bounce or rebound chance.

We are at the mid-point of the season and the front runners are solidifying. The point gaps are either shrinking or gone and every game matters. The Rangers had a 10 point lead in the Metro division and look at what the standings are now:

3 points. That’s it. Carolina is heating up and it’s going to be work for the Rangers to fend them off. The Islanders aren’t incredible but their OT points are still points and they’re frequent PITA opponents for the Rangers. Florida, Winnipeg, Seattle, and Edmonton are on massive win streaks. Edmonton are now playing like everyone thought they would at the start of the season and are knocking on the playoff door. They had a terrible record and have turned it around. Vancouver rarely loses. Boston and Vegas have stumbled recently which adds to the top of the leaderboard turning into a feeding frenzy.

The home and home against Washington this weekend is important. It’s going to be a gut check. The following week is a tough schedule for the Rangers and the Caps are going to be the “easiest” competition.

25-9-1

The positive record continues. The Rangers rolled the Capitals 5-1. A 4-3 loss to the Panthers, but it was an electric game. Last night, a 5-1 win against Tampa Bay. That 51 points seat the Rangers the first in the league and the Metro division. Vancouver and Las Vegas are closest with 49 points (Van has played one more game and Vegas 2).

It’s taking this team’s most consistent high-quality playing to keep pace with the best. Losing just two games can mean a big change in the standings. With the aforementioned two teams, Winnipeg, Los Angeles, Colorado, Carolina, Boston, and the Panthers are currently fighting tooth and nail for the top. There’s a pack of teams just behind that tier as well (looking at Dallas and Philadelphia in particular) that no one should count out. My dark horse team for making the playoffs is Arizona.

Panarin is playing out of his mind. He’s a playmaker in scoring and assists. He’s skating fast and every shift he looks determined to make something happen. Last night he tallied his 6th career hat trick. Each goal is wilder than the one before it. He made this surprise twisted shot that caught everyone by surprise. Mika is having a hell of a month too, with around 17 points in the last 10 games. Igor has returned to form, winning his last 5. Quick has lost his first two regulation games in his last two starts but in each game, he did play outstandingly. In the Florida loss, defensive breakdowns right in front of the net are largely to blame, not him.

The third and fourth lines continue to make the lives of opposing teams difficult. The entire team is playing really well now. Shout out to K’Andre Miller for his recent improvement in his game.

In injury news, Kakko has been skating on his own. He’s been out for more than a month and there’s no time frame for him to come back. It does sound like he’s improving, at least. Chytil has returned home to continue his recovery. Apparently, he’s seen a top doctor for concussions and while he’s been skating on his own, his improvement is slower than expected. He’ll continue to heal and train as much as he can but this means they don’t think he’ll be ready anytime soon. Will he come back in time for the playoffs or is his season over? He’s had at least 4 concussions so this isn’t a good sign. We all hope for the best for 2024.

23-8-1

The final week of games before the Christmas break sees the team go 2-1. A terrific revenge win over Toronto (5-3), a hair-raising loss to Edmonton (4-3), and a way too close of a win over Buffalo in OT (4-3).

Play-wise wise these games went pretty much the same as the last update I gave. Great special teams, solid goaltending, and good point distribution over the whole team: Panarin, Trocheck, Kreider, Zibanejad, and Fox all playing very well, Wheeler is still producing, and the 4th line is making occasional offensive waves with great defense. With his tremendous Boston game, Igor has looked better this week, standing tall against Toronto and making clutch saves in tonight’s game against Buffalo. Things got dicey with Buffalo because of mistakes close to the net that got capitalized on.

Quick lost his first game in regulation against the Oilers last night. Rangers scored first in the 1st period and like I said before, one goal doesn’t mean anything. Wild saves on both sides through the 2nd period kept the one-goal lead until about 5 minutes into the third. Then Edmonton’s offense broke through, taking advantage of rapid defensive breakdowns. It was 4 goals in ten minutes. It was a full-on no-quit effort on both sides though. The Rangers didn’t pack it in when down by 3. Scored on a power play with the goalie pulled to make it 4-2 and Cuylle got a last-second goal to make it 4-3. It was bittersweet as it didn’t mean anything except for a stat boost, but in terms of pushing as a team, I think it meant a lot. That nose-to-the-grindstone effort is going to pay off as the season keeps moving. We’re getting close to the halfway point of the season. There are three games left in the year and they will be challenging (WSH, FL, TMPA).