The New York Rangers are in the
playoffs and maybe all you need to do to have a shot to win it is get in the
dance and go from there. The runs of
both the Montreal Canadiens and especially Philadelphia Flyers in last year’s
NHL playoffs gives every team and their fans hope that is the case. The question becomes about whether the
Rangers are capable of making the run or if thinking that way is just
irrational hope by the fans about the chances of the team they love. Can the Rangers be this year’s Flyers?
The
Rangers have a lot of the ingredients that lead you to believe a deep run in
the postseason, even if from the eighth seed.
Before we even get to the players that can make the difference the first
thing you have to talk about with this Rangers club is their identity. Playing a team game based on hard work,
sacrificing the body, hitting, and a physical style is the kind of system that
can succeed in the playoffs. Combine those
things with the fact the team has a resiliency both within games and from game
to game is critical in a playoff series.
To
speak to their resiliency within games the Rangers were tied for second in the
lead in wins when trailing after two periods with eight. New York was also the only team to not lose a
game in which they lead after two periods posting an astonishing 29-0-0 record
in those situations. When you are a team
that has come back to win games and also knows when you have a lead you can
keep it, then you add confidence to your club.
That is especially important given the Rangers youth overall and playoff
inexperience in certain important roles this season.
Beyond
those almost intangible qualities the Rangers possess a balanced offense,
strong defense core and have arguably the best goalie in the world with Henrik
Lundqvist. One the keys to a long
playoff run is going to be a goaltender getting hot at the right time and
Lundqvist is certainly more than capable of that as he shown over the years and
even the past two months. Lundqvist
played the final 26 games of the regular season for the Rangers going 15-10-1
with a 2.14 goals against average, .923 save percentage and four shutouts.
In
front of Lundqvist the Rangers have a very good young defense core that is led
by Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. The pair
is one of the top shutdown units in the league against the opposition’s top
offensive line and is more than used to playing the huge minutes that will be
required in the playoffs. One difference
for the Rangers this year as opposed to two years ago when they made the
playoffs is that the emergence of Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh as a pair
gives the Rangers a second defensive group to have faith in during the big
moments. Reacting to the new environment
of the playoffs is an unknown, but with the way each has adjusted this season
there is hope they will make the same transition there.
The
thing that could hold the Rangers back from being the Flyers of this postseason
is the inconsistency of their offensive attack.
The team put up 5+ goals on 16 different occasions this season, but they
also going into scoring droughts that saw them score two or less 42 (not
counting shootout goals) times this season.
There
is no more better example of the offensive consistency issues the Rangers
suffered from this season than their offensive headliner Marian Gaborik. He has only 22 goals on the season, 10 of
which came in three games. If the team
is going to make a run he is going to have to be a consistent producer in the
extra season because behind him there is enough secondary scoring depth to make
for a dangerous offensive unit.
If
Gaborik gets hot to go with the Rangers style of play, their emerging young
defense core and all world goaltending there is no reason they cannot make a
run deep into June.
