The Rangers have another day off Wednesday prior to their Eastern Conference Finals match up with the Lightning. Tuesday was skills day for New York, as the coaching staff found a way to break up the monotony of practice by going in a slightly different direction. Wednesday will likely be a regular tpractice day, as NY preps for Tampa.
For Thursday, I wouldn't be shocked to see Emerson Etem back in the lineup. Victor Stalberg struggled Sunday and hasn't been great the past several games. So while AV and the coaching staff have been sitting either Dominic Moore or Jarret Stoll, Stalberg could be the odd man out Thursday. If that happens, look for Etem to slide onto the third line for him.
Most of the talk has centered on the Rangers' nine-game win streak. Chatter has focused on the where that streak sits in Rangers' franchise history as well as in relation to the other teams in the region. What I like is that the Rangers players haven't gotten caught up in the streak or the significance of that historically.
Here is how I view it. The streak is great. It allows the Rangers to focus on each game rather than be concerned about the impact of a loss in the broader goal to first make the playoffs. In addition, it assists in striving to be the best in the division and the conference. But to me, that's it. Winning now has very little impact on what happens from April through June. After the season we can look back and see end result of this streak as it relates to the postseason.
New York went on a similar streak last year. While during it, the mood around the team and fanbase was high, once the postseason started, that streak was somewhat of an afterthought. That is what likely will and should happen with this streak. Knowing that the team can go on these runs is clearly a positive and will help a bit come playoff time, in terms of a winning mentality, a victory in November probably has little carry forward to the postseason.
That said, my hope of course is that the team continues to win and puts itself in the best shape for the playoffs. But regardless of how long this streak goes, to me, it will mean little come postseason time. Since as we all know, the playoffs is a whole new season.