Turns out those storm clouds on the horizon were nothing but a sun shower. After dropping three out of four games in rather ugly fashion, the New York Rangers have rebounded, winning three in a row, two against playoff-caliber teams.
But even more impressive, their Vezina trophy-winning goalie seems to have regained his form. Against the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, Igor Shesterkin stopped 52 of 55 shots. Three goals against in two games. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, doubters.
The puck management that had had alluded the Rangers over the last few games returned as if it had never been gone. The 2-1 OT win over the Bruins might be the best game this team has played in years; and after getting shellacked by the Maple Leafs 7-3 at the Garden last week, Tuesday's 5-2 win in Toronto was sweet revenge.
In retrospect, that 7-4 win over the Bruins last month might've been the worst thing that could've happened to this team; it gave them a false sense of accomplishment. By all accounts, it was one of the sloppiest games of the season, with both sides committing multiple turnovers. I have long held that a team that wins these types of games is like a kid who gets away with eating a chocolate chip cookie before dinner. He never pays the price, hence he never learns anything.
Well, let's just say that, unlike that kid with the cookie, the Rangers did learn something. They learned that pretending to be the 1985 Edmonton Oilers can lead to one helluva tummy ache. It's not that they don't have elite-level talent; they do. It's just that relying on that talent isn't enough; not in today's NHL. If it were, if talent alone was all a team needed, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews would each have at least two Stanley Cup rings by now. Think about it: the Vegas Golden Knights didn't have a single scorer in the top 70 last season; yet they still won the Cup. At the end of the day, hockey is a team sport. Fantasy teams may be fun and lucrative, but they seldom win championships.
So now that the Rangers have had their rude awakening, all appears to be well. Peter Laviolette no doubt had some choice words for his players after the Toronto loss, and since then the results have been self evident. No more track meets, no more run and gun, no more half-assed passes that lead to turnovers. Just structure, structure, structure, the way he and his staff drew it up on the black board during the preseason.
For their part, the Blueshirts have been attentive students. Over their first 30 games, they are 22-7-1 for 45 points. How good is that? Consider that the 1993-94 team that won the Cup went 21-6-3 for 45 points in their first 30 games. I realize some might think it sacrilegious to compare this team to such an illustrious group of athletes. Don't count me as one of them. The more I see this team play, the more convinced I become that we could be looking at something special come June.
Fundamentally, this is as sound a hockey team as you are likely to find. They are well coached and they are disciplined. They do whatever it takes to win. They go into the trenches, they take the body, they finish their checks, they block shots, they win face-offs, they convert on the power play. And on those rare occasions when they fail to do any of those things, their goaltending is good enough to bail them out. Games they lost last season they are finding a way to win this season. It isn't always pretty, but since when has hockey always been pretty?
They are in first place in the Eastern conference, only two points behind the league-leading Golden Knights. Can you say Presidents' Trophy? I knew you could.
They are no fluke; they have earned everything they have gotten so far.
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