Silverman: Winning Streak Has Rangers On Track For Memorable Second Half

By Steve Silverman
» More Columns

The Rangers are a better team now than they were a year ago when they made it to the Stanley Cup Final.

During the 2014 playoffs, circumstances broke the Rangers' way during the postseason. The Penguins proved to be a choke team under Dan Bylsma, and couldn't close out the Rangers even though they had better personnel and a 3-1 lead in the series. Bylsma was rightfully fired by the Penguins.

They got a huge break in the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens when they were forced to beat Dustin Tokarski in goal instead of Carey Price. The Canadiens had helped the Rangers by eliminating the Boston Bruins, and the Rangers didn't have to muscle up with their old rivals in the postseason.

It all went swimmingly for the Rangers until they met the Los Angeles Kings, who were clearly the better team. If the Rangers had gone up against the Chicago Blackhawks -- beaten by the Kings in overtime of the seventh game of the Western Conference Final -- it would have also gone badly.

But this year's version of the Rangers is not going to have to depend on breaks to make its mark. As the NHL takes its holiday break, the Rangers may very well be the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The standings say they are tied for third in the Metropolitan Division with the Washington Capitals, but their seven-game winning streak and a look at their personnel says they are more than just a team that is going to have to fight for a playoff spot.

There is something notable in their play that has stood out in the first half, and there's not one team in the East that should scare them.

Teams like Pittsburgh, Montreal, the Islanders and Tampa Bay all need to be respected. But when it comes to putting best-on-best and competing, head coach Alain Vigneault's group may be best suited towards making it further than any of their rivals.

It's not just that the Rangers are hot right now, having beaten teams that include the Penguins, Canucks and Capitals during the winning streak. While they lacked the consistency earlier in the year, they had a number of significant wins over excellent teams like San Jose (4-0), Pittsburgh (5-0) and Montreal (5-0). Those wins have opened up eyes around the league.

When you can beat top teams by significant margins, it makes a statement around the league. Other teams know the Rangers have legitimate scoring depth, and are getting the kind of leadership from Rick Nash that could make a huge difference come playoff time.

Nash is leading the Rangers with 23 goals, 14 assists and a plus-16 rating. He is second in the league in goal-scoring behind Tyler Seguin (25) of Dallas and three ahead of St. Louis sniper Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Rangers know they can depend on Nash to score the big goal with his vicious wrist shot, quick moves or merely being in the right place at the right time, as he was Tuesday night when linemate Mats Zuccarello's shot deflected off his butt and past Washington goalie Braden Holtby.

While Nash is driving the bus, the Rangers are getting offensive contributions from Derrick Brassard, Marty St. Louis, Chris Kreider, Carl Hagelin and Zuccarello.

Scoring depth will give this team a chance to avoid slumps in the second half of the season and continue to string wins together. The Rangers have shown something of a killer instinct in their one-sided wins over top teams this season, and that is one characteristic that the Rangers have not shown in the past.

The Rangers are fourth in the league with an average of 2.97 goals per game, and that's what is most surprising. Toronto, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh are all scoring more than 3.00 goals per game and are ahead of the Rangers, but Vigneault's team is scoring more than the Chicago Blackhawks, who are probably the best team in the league.

On the other hand, they are giving up 2.47 goals per game, a figure that has them tied for 10th with St. Louis. But with Henrik Lundqvist in goal, that figure is likely to improve, and the Rangers will have a chance to climb the standings as the season progresses.

The holiday season holds a great deal of promise for the Rangers. They have been charging recently and making a move in the standings, but the future is even brighter.

It's up to Vigneault, Nash and Lundqvist to make sure that they take advantage of their opportunity.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories