The
New York Rangers look to extend their winning streak to seven tonight as they
head to Long Island tonight to take on the rival Islanders. On paper it seems like an easy task as the
Rangers are now 9-3-3 while the Islanders are 1-6-3 following their 3-1
start. As Rangers fans know all too
well, games in this rivalry don’t turn out how paper would suggest they should
as the Islanders always give something extra against the Rangers. The Rangers should know better than to take
the Islanders lightly as John Tavares netted a hat-trick against them in a 4-2 loss
a month ago. That is why the biggest
challenge to extending the winning streak is focus.
A
team that is rolling brings tremendous confidence to the ice each game, but
there is also something to be said for a team that is struggling horrifically
and desperately needs a win. The Rangers
have to come out tonight with the mentality that they have lost six straight
and play with that desperation of needing those two points or they will get
none. The combination of playing a very
beatable team and having just had three days off can make both the energy level
and sharpness of the team more difficult.
That is where the focus really comes in.
The
Rangers cannot afford to lose composure if the Islanders look to unnerve them
with nonsense. They also have to remain
disciplined within the play and keep their penalty numbers down. Staying out of the box has been an
understated reason for the current winning streak. That means no cheap stuff after whistles and
moving your feet all night to avoid needless stick penalties.
If
the Rangers stay out of the penalty box and play their game down low against
the Islanders, then the winning streak will be extended. If they get into the Islanders style of up
and down hockey and get caught up in the non-hockey stuff, then they will taste
defeat for the first time this month. This is one of those tests to see if a team
has really turned the corner on their old ways as this is a prime example of a
game where the Rangers would play down to the level of their opponent in the
past.
