A month ago if you would have said the Rangers would win 12 of 13, you would have gotten some strange looks. In fact, if you would have said New York would sweep Western Canada, eyebrows would have been raised, then, if you had added in that they would defeat Ana, then LA, then SJ in four days, it's feasible that you might have been carted away. Yet, that's where the Blueshirts stand, in fact, they are starting to get some buzz as a Stanley Cup Contender.
Personally, I prefer the Rangers staying under the radar, but that possibly has long sailed. The hot streak has raised the public conscience and recognition that what this team has and can accomplish. To those of us that watch them daily, we have a tendency to focus on the flaws rather than what works well. Yes, AV is able to roll four lines, but the bottom-six is still for the most part very green and unsettled. The sixth d-man is a revolving door and we would love to see more of a physical presence. Faceoffs are a nightmare and a major area that needs to be upgraded or worked on, of course, I have mentioned the negatives because we ave such high hopes for this award, working on remediating those gaps will play a big role on how far the team can advance. The hot streak has New York four points behind Pittsburgh with two games in hand, five behind the Islanders with three in hand and six points behind Tampa Bay with four in hand. Tuesday's game with the Isles looms large in the context of the division but more so as a confidence booster. That boost may be more so for the team on the Island than the Blueshirts as one is looking to get to that next level and prove what they have done to date isn't a fluke while the other established themselves the past few seasons, especially last year.
Apologies for the delay, spent day roaming at certain historical sites in Panama, in 90-degree weather, yet thinking about a game placed on ice.
Last night, New York looked like a tired team and rightfully so. Chris Kreider, who has been in beast mode lately, set the stage in the first period, bolstered by MSL. The last few weeks Kreider seems to have thrown off the shackles of concern over getting penalized and is playing his game, regardless of the consequences. St. Louis has been up-and-down but he too has been better recently. While those two played. A huge role in the win, seeing Dan Boyle come back from a broken nose - albeit on an unpenalized James Sheppard elbow - also was a confidence booster. Boyle took massive criticism early in the year but he has been huge in this win streak. Of course, with the Rangers, it begins and ends with Henrik Lundqvist. This year though he is joined in that regard, both locally and in the sport as a whole, by Rick Nash, Lundqvist yesterday came up with save after bug save, rescuing New York when they faltered. Nursing a one-goal lead, Nash had an unreal empty goal continuing his roll that landed him in the All-Star Game. I know he will have to prove it come playoff time, but other than results, what didn't he do in the playoffs? He drove play, had good puck possession, crested opportunities, back-checked like a fiend. All he didn't do was score; give me that level of effort again and I will be happy.
The blog today seemed to roll into a Corsi, Fenwick, advanced stats conversation. First, I request that even if you disagree, remain respectful. I know I can learn more and utilize it more, so if someone is willing to explain it, don't view it as him taking down to any of us. Advanced stats are predictive to an extent, of course there are outliers, but it does give us knowledge over how teams play and why they are and are not successful. In addition, I view it a supplement and not a substitute to what I see, read and hear as to what's goung on the ice. The Rangers can be a puck possession team but at times, they are hurt by their poor faceoffs, which forces them to chase. The mere fact that they have been a positive possession team is amazing, given that more times than not, they start without the puck. I am not asking everyone to embrace advanced stats but realize they have a place in the game and aren't gong anywhere.
Can't wait until Tuesday, should be a great game between the Rangers and Islanders in the a Midtown Tunnel war.