Coyote Ugly

File this under "we'll take the two points, thank you." The New York Rangers, losers of two in a row and three of their last four, limped out of the Arizona desert with a come from behind victory over the hapless Coyotes, thanks to two late power play goals by Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko. To say they were fortunate would be an understatement.

Consider this: the Arizona Coyotes are last in the NHL in points, last in goals scored and second to last in goals against. Yet, last night the Rangers made them look like world beaters. It's one thing to get outplayed by the Colorado Avalanche; they are, after all, one of the four best teams in the Western conference. To get outplayed by a team that many picked to be a draft lottery finalist at the start of the season is embarrassing.

This wasn't a resilient team that persevered and found a way to win; this was a sloppy and lackluster team that needed to be rescued by an undisciplined team that gifted them two power play opportunities late in the third period. Sans that, we'd be talking about a three-game losing streak today and a lot of soul searching.

You can blame the scheduling all you want. Playing six games in nine nights is brutal, I get it. But good teams rise above those sorts of handicaps and take care of business. We did not see a good team last night; we saw an incredibly lucky one that should seriously consider sending every Coyote player a dozen roses.

Yes, they are in first place and, yes, they are an incredible 11-0-1 against teams with losing records. But dig a little deeper and what you'll find is a bit unsettling. Of those eleven wins, six have been by one goal, including two against the Sabres and last night's yawner against the Coyotes. The one lone "laugher" - a 6-2 rout against the Blackhawks in Chicago - was a tie game heading into the third period. And the 4-1 win they had at UBS Arena against the Islanders - a team that at the time was decimated by a Covid outbreak - was only 2-0 after two periods.

While they are 8-7-2 against teams with winning records, two of those wins were the direct result of Igor Shesterkin standing on his head; while three of the losses were blowouts: 5-1 and 6-0 against Calgary, and the recent 7-3 shellacking against Colorado at the Garden last week. Their plus-10 goal differential is the lowest among the four division leaders. And they have yet to play the Carolina Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Pittsburgh Penguins, winners of five in a row.

Look, I don't think it's time to push the panic button; not yet, at least. But there is reason to be concerned. These trends are not good. Teams that habitually live on the edge almost invariably die on it. Of their 84 goals, 43 have come from Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, Ryan Strome and Adam Fox. The "kids" - Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil - at times have been in the witness protection program. Kakko finally got off the schneid last night, scoring twice, including the game winner; Chytil was a healthy scratch - draw your own conclusions; Dryden Hunt is a top-six forward the way I'm an NBA center; Barclay Goodrow has played every position except defense and goal; and Julien Gauthier still can't finish. Gerard Gallant is doing everything humanly possible to squeeze every ounce of talent out of this group and, so far, he's been very successful.

Despite their impressive record, the Rangers are NOT, I repeat NOT, a Stanley Cup contender. Yes, they will make the playoffs, but unless Chris Drury decides to pull the trigger and utilize the cap space he has to address this team's needs - a right winger who can bury the puck or a play-making center - their chances of advancing deep in the postseason are next to nil.

Their power play bailed them out last night; it won't save them come May.