Will the Real New York Rangers Please Stand Up

For most of the 2024-25 season, the New York Rangers have been a shell of the team that won the Presidents' Trophy and came within two wins of advancing to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 2014. After getting off to a 12-4-1 start, the Blueshirts went 6-16-1 over their last 23 games going into last night's game against the New Jersey Devils at the Garden. They were 5-10-1 against teams that made the playoffs last season, and two of those losses came against the Washington Capitals - the team they swept in the first round last year.

The numbers were growing alarming. The goal differential over this stretch was a league-worst minus 31. How bad is that? The Chicago Blackhawks were a minus 21 over the same stretch, and they're one of the worst teams in the NHL. The once vaunted power play converted on only 8 of 62 attempts for a putrid 12.9 percent. The penalty kill wasn't that much better. In 56 times shorthanded, the Rangers successfully killed off the opposing power play 77.8 percent of the time. And as if to add insult to injury, the team's save percentage - the one stat that they could always point to with pride - was a woeful .881 - 7th from the bottom.

Talk about slumming. The wheels were rapidly coming off on the season. Titanic? Try Lusitania. It was looking very much like Chris Drury was going to be a seller at the trade deadline.

And then the Rangers did something peculiar; something we haven't seen them do in a very long time; they played their best, most inspiring game of the season against a team that in the last two meetings outscored them a combined 10-1. Last night's 3-2 OT win over the Devils was as exciting as it was unexpected. The power play went 2 for 3; the penalty kill 4 for 4. And even though they didn't score at 5v5, they dominated most of the play - especially in the 3rd period - outshooting New Jersey overall 32-23, and out chancing them 29-25; 10-8 in high-danger chances.

I don't want to get too carried away here; after all, it's only one game. But I don't want to minimize it either. It's one thing to get outplayed and have to rely on Igor Shesterkin to save the day, which pretty much has been the formula the last three seasons; it's quite another when the 18 skaters in front of him collectively hold one of the most explosive teams in the NHL to two goals. To put this in perspective, the last time the Rangers played the Devils in December, they managed just one HD scoring chance to New Jersey's 11. To say they phoned it in would be putting it mildly.

Even before last night's game there were signs of life. Against the Dallas Stars, the Rangers were less than 3 minutes away from a 4-3 win before K'Andre Miller turned the puck over in the defensive zone and the Stars tied the score, eventually winning in OT. Apart from Miller's mistake, they played well enough to win that game. Indeed, the Broadway Blues have played only one bad game the entire month of January. After a horrific stretch, the Rangers are slowly beginning to resemble, if not that Presidents' Trophy team, at least one that can make the playoffs.

What is responsible for this turnaround? Put succinctly, the core is producing. Mika Zibanejad has awakened from his season-long coma. He has a five-game scoring streak, with two goals and three assists. Artemi Panarin has a goal and three assists in his last three games. Vincent Trocheck has three goals and two assists over that same stretch. Alexis Lafreniere finally broke his 13-game goal drought with a pair against the Stars. And Adam Fox scored his second goal of the season; his first was an empty netter against the Sabres in Buffalo on December 11.

Now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Is this turnaround for real, or are we simply in the eye of a perfect storm that was in the process of destroying the entire season? After all, even bad teams are capable of having good stretches, right?

I suppose we'll know soon enough. The Rangers hit the road to play the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche and the Utah Hockey Club before returning to the Garden to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Every one of those teams has a winning record; Vegas currently has a league-leading 59 points. They finish the month at home against the Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes. If the Rangers are going to make a push, they will have to do so against some of the toughest teams in the NHL. As Steve Valiquette said after last night's win, the easy part of the schedule is over.

The problem with digging a hole is that sometimes you can't climb out of it. You eventually run out of runway, to use another analogy. But for now, at least, this team has apparently decided to put up a fight. They look nothing like the team that slept walked through December and most of November. 

At the half-way mark of the season, the Rangers record stands at 19-20-2. They currently sit in 5th place in the Metropolitan Division, four points out of the second wild card spot, with four teams ahead of them. Their task is indeed daunting, but it's one they brought on themselves.

As a friend of mine is fond of saying: "How do you deal with a sink full of dirty dishes? One dish at a time."

November Will Test Rangers Mettle

To say that the New York Rangers had themselves a good October would be the understatement of the decade. For the first time in franchise history, they went 5-0 on a road trip. Headed into November, they sit atop the Metropolitan Division with a record of 7-2-0, two points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes; they are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for the third most points in the NHL with 14; and they have allowed the second fewest goals at 18.

Their 5v5 play has improved tremendously under new head coach Peter Laviolette; their special teams are clicking on all cylinders; and they are getting elite-level goaltending from both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick. Contrary to what some have said on a certain social-media platform, these are not the 2021-22 Rangers. That team won in spite of itself; this team is making its own breaks. I have not seen a Rangers team with this much discipline and focus in a good many years.

To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised they've gotten off to such a fast start. Based on what we saw in the preseason, the consensus was that that the Blueshirts would likely struggle out of the gate. Comparisons to the 2013-14 team that went 16-18-2 in its first 36 games seemed appropriate. That this team has done as well as it has this early in the season confirms two things: 1. Laviolette was the right choice for Chris Drury; and 2. Gerard Gallant wasn't.

I don't wish the man ill, but it's clear that Gallant's unwillingness or inability to make adjustments was the primary reason for the Rangers collapse against the Devils in the playoffs last year. There is no other plausible explanation for how a series in which they dominated so thoroughly through the first two games turned so suddenly. The power play, which had gone 4-10 in the first two games, went 1-21 over the last five. It was obvious what had happened. Lindy Ruff made an adjustment on his penalty kill unit that took away the tip-in goals Chris Kreider was getting. But rather than tweak his power play, Gallant stood pat, believing it was simply a matter of execution. He was wrong and it cost him his job.

There are other differences, too. While the Rangers haven't fully implemented Laviolette's 1-3-1 system yet, there has been a reduction in the number of odd-man rushes and shots on goal the team has given up. Indeed, through nine games this season, New York has allowed an average of 26.22 SoG. Last season, the average was 29.33; in 2021-22, it was 30.83. Translation, Ranger goalies are having to work less hard than they have in the past.

Witness the game in Calgary. Shesterkin had to make several tough saves to preserve a 3-1 win over the Flames. Two years ago in Toronto, he had to practically stand on his head against the Maple Leafs just to get the Rangers to overtime, where Artemi Panarin won it late. The point is while goalies are required to steal the odd game or two for their teams, these types of heists should be the exception, not the rule. During Gallant's tenure in New York, they were the the latter.

But that's all water under the bridge. There's a new sheriff in town now. And while the first nine games of the season were an unqualified success, the next 12 are going to test the mettle of this team, starting with tonight's game against the Canes at the Garden. After getting off to a slow start, Carolina has allowed two goals or fewer in their last three games, all of which have been wins. It is one thing to beat a struggling Flames team or an Edmonton Oilers team without Connor McDavid; it is quite another to beat one of the best defensive teams in the NHL over the last two years. This will be the toughest opponent the Rangers have faced, so far.

And the schedule doesn't get any easier after tonight. In addition to the Hurricanes, the Rangers will face the Detroit Red Wings twice, and the Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars and dreaded Devils once this month. The Red Wings are one of the surprise teams in the league this season, while the Bruins, Stars and Devils are all legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.

The Rangers took care of business in October; and that was good. But all that earned them was the chance to do it again in November.

Rangers Off To A Good Start - So Far

Over the first six games of Alain Vigneault's tenure as head coach of the New York Rangers, they went 2-4-0. Not quite the start they were looking for. The team would struggle most of the first half of the 2013-14 season; on December 20, their record stood at 16-18-2. To say the natives were restless would be putting it mildly.

Fortunately, the Blushsirts turned it around, going 29-13-7 the rest of the way, finishing second in the Metropolitan division, and advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years. Despite losing to the L.A. Kings in five, the consensus was that the season was an unqualified success.

There are several parallels between that team and the current one: a mix of seasoned veterans with a sprinkle of young players, a Vezina trophy goalie capable of stealing games, and an established head coach with a new system.

In his first six games behind the Rangers bench, Peter Laviolette has managed to kill two birds with one stone. Not only has his team gotten off to a fairly impressive 4-2-0 start, in three of those wins they appear to have successfully implemented his system. Granted, the Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes and Seattle Kraken are hardly the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils, but you have to learn to walk before you can run.

During much of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Devils employed the 1-3-1 neutral zone trap so effectively, they won three Cups. Now that Laviolette has brought that neutral zone trap to New York, the hope is that history will repeat itself on the other side of the Hudson. After watching the Rangers cede their blue line for years, it's refreshing to see them finally stand their ground and make opponents work to gain the offensive zone. 

There are two statistics that stand out. The first has been a sore spot for years. In their first five games, the Rangers have won 55.7 percent of their face offs. Last year, they won 49.1 percent of them. You have to go all the way back to that '94 Cup year to find a team that dominated at the face off circle. In a league that values puck possession, winning face offs is a must.

But it's the other statistic that's turning heads. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Rangers are currently ranked 8th in Corsi for shot percentage at 5v5. Last season, they were ranked 17th. In Gerard Gallant's first season as head coach - the year they went to the conference finals - they were ranked 25th. Combined with a power play that is currently ranked 4th in CF%, the Rangers have the potential to be one of the elite teams in the league this year.

Another encouraging sign is the way Laviolette is utilizing the "kids." Both Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko are starting to flourish in the top six, and Filip Chytil is becoming a solid two-way center with Artemi Panarin as his left wing. Chytil has five assists in his last two games, while Lafreniere scored a power play goal against the Calgary Flames the other night, the fourth of his career. He's tied with Panarin for second most goals on the team with three. Not bad for a supposed "bust."

Look, it's still early. Anything can happen. But with the Carolina Hurricanes struggling and the Devils defense and goaltending leaking like a sieve, a first place finish in the Metro isn't out of the realm of possibility for the Rangers.

Tell me you saw that coming in September. I sure as hell didn't.

2023-24 NHL Predictions

It's that time of year again when yours truly puts what's left of his reputation on the line. Two years ago, I had the Vegas Golden Knights and New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals; neither team made the playoffs. Last year, I picked the Rangers and Colorado Avalanche to meet in the Finals; both teams were eliminated in the first round. So, I guess you could say I'm improving. At this rate, in another three years, I'll finally nail it.

All kidding aside, it's all done in fun, so don't take it too seriously. After all, I had the Columbus Blue Jackets as a wild card last season and they were one of the worst teams in the NHL. So with that in mind, let's get on with the predictions.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs finally won a playoff series last season - beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven - and then promptly lost to the Florida Panthers in the next round. As usual, it's never about the level of talent in Toronto, but rather the level of toughness. Hence, the signings of Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves. The fab four will carry the offensive load, but after that, they're a little thin to make a deep run in the postseason.

Florida Panthers: Last season, the Panthers - formerly known as the Puddy Tats - shocked the hockey world by not just knocking off the Presidents' Trophy Boston Bruins, but going all the way to the finals before finally losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. Matthew Tkachuk is one of the best all-around forwards in the game and Sergei Bobrovsky redeemed his reputation last spring as a money goaltender.

Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí both retired, Taylor Hall was dealt to the Blackhawks, and Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov both left via free agency. No team in the league was probably more negatively impacted by the constraints of the flat salary cap than the Bruins. And yet, this will still be a solid defensive team with elite-level goaltending that will win its fair share of games.

Metropolitan Division:

New Jersey Devils: If you saw their meteoric rise last season you're a better man than me. Rarely has a core popped all at once. Their speed down the middle is their greatest asset and they will give defenses fits all season long. I'm still not sold that their goaltending is up to the task of going the distance and they're a little thin on the blue line. But their top six is as good as it gets.

Carolina Hurricanes: Michael Bunting should fit right in with this group of forwards which, though lacking explosiveness, is one of the most cohesive groups in the NHL. No team generates more scoring chances than the Canes. But as we saw in last year's ECF, they lack the finishers to capitalizes on them.

New York Rangers: Peter Laviolette is tasked with turning this talent laden team into a Cup contender. It may take a while for his up-tempo system to be fully implemented, hence the third place prediction. With Shesterkin in net, they will always be a threat. Whether they have the testicular fortitude to go all the way remains to be seen.

Wild Cards: 

Buffalo Sabres: If the Sabres had played as well at home as they did on the road, they would've made the playoffs last season. This is an up and coming team that is young, talented and on the verge of being a genuine contender. They will drive whichever team they meet in the postseason up the wall. Defense is their only concern.

Ottawa Senators: Another young team on the rise. Brady Thuchuk - Matthew's younger brother - and Tim Stützle are genuine stars. Like the Sabres, they're also a year or two away from being a contender, but watch out.

Close but no cigar:

Pittsburgh Penguins: One of the oldest teams in the league needed to get younger and better on D. So what did new GM Kyle Dumas do? He traded for 32 year-old winger Reilly Smith and 33 year-old defenseman Erik Karlsson, quite possibly the worst plus / minus recipient of the Norris trophy ever.

New York Islanders: The shame here is that Ilya Sorokin will be a finalist for the Vezina trophy and he's trapped on a team that will struggle to find offense. Poor Lou Lamoriello; he still thinks it's the '90s.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Since they won their second Cup in a row in '21, they've turned over half their roster. And now they'll be without Andrei Vasilevskiy until mid-December. Not even Toe Blake could save them.

Western Conference:

Central Division:

Colorado Avalanche: Even without Gabriel Landeskog, they are a formidable force to be reckoned with. Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best two-way centers in the league and Cale Makar a perennial Norris trophy candidate. Ryan Johansen and Ross Colton were shrewd pickups by Chris MacFarland. They are well coached and a legit threat to go all the way.

Dallas Stars: I underestimated them last season, as did a lot of people. They're deep and they have one of the best defensemen in the the league in Miro Heiskanen, not to mention one of the best goalies in Jake Oettinger.

Minnesota Wild: G.M. Bill Guerin is doing the best he can with the dead cap hits he was forced to take thanks to his predecessor. They'll be in the mix but a lack of depth will come back to bite them in the end.

Pacific Division: 

Vegas Golden Knights: Boy, do I feel really stupid. Not only did I not have them winning the Cup last season, I didn't even have them making the playoffs. I won't make that mistake again. The secret to Vegas's success is their depth at both forward and defense. They can come with you with four lines and all three of their defense pairings are big and mobile. They are the odds-on favorites to repeat.

Edmonton Oilers: The over / under on Connor McDavid's point total this season is 137.5. Take the over. McDavid is without question the best player in the NHL. Mattias Ekholm - a trade deadline pickup - is a solid, stay at home defenseman, a rarity in Edmonton. The flat salary cap has hindered what G.M. Ken Holland can do to address the lack of depth. Jack Campbell is an adequate, but hardly elite, goalie.

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are betting that Pierre-Luc Dubois will provide the offensive balance they've been looking for to make them a legit contender. It's a bet that may pay off. With Dubois at center and Kevin Fiala at wing, LA has a potent one-two punch.

Wild Cards:

Seattle Kraken: Were it not for the upset of the Bruins at the hands of the Panthers, the Kraken's upset of the Avalanche would've been the story of the year. In just two short seasons G.M. Ron Francis has done a tremendous job meticulously building a team that last season was one win away from advancing to the conference finals.

Calgary Flames: Now that old blood and guts Darryl Sutter has been shown the door, this team can finally exhale. The Flames have the talent and the goaltending to be a playoff team. They're not in the same class as Vegas or Edmonton or Colorado, but they are much better than what they showed last season.

Close but no cigar:

Winnipeg Jets: Losing Dubois and Blake Wheeler - a buyout - will hinder a team that made the playoffs last season by the skin of its teeth. It's going to be a tough year in Winnipeg.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Rangers over the Maple Leafs 4-3

Western Conference Finals: Avalanche over the Golden Knights 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Rangers over the Avalanche 4-3

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Colorado Avalanche

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers

Norris Trophy: Miro Heiskanen, Stars

Vezina Trophy: Ilya Sorokin, Islanders

Jack Adams Award: Peter Laviolette, Rangers

Conn Smythe Trophy: Igor Shesterkin, Rangers

Now What?

To say this Rangers season was a colossal failure would be putting it mildly. Going into game seven against the New Jersey Devils Monday night, the Rangers knew they had to do two things: 1. Not let the Devils run them ragged around the hockey rink; and 2. Score on the power play. They did neither.

For all intents and purposes, this game was over in the first period. The Blueshirts went 0 for 3 on the power play and were thoroughly outplayed from the opening puck drop. It was only through the sheer brilliance of Igor Shesterkin - who with a GAA of 1.96 and a SV% of .931 deserved a better outcome - that the score wasn't 3-0 New Jersey going into the second.

This series in many ways was a microcosm of the Rangers season. When they played against teams that gave them the room to create, they lit them up like a Christmas tree. But when they played against teams that knew how to check and took away their passing lanes, they struggled to generate offense. Just look at the scores in this series; they tell the whole tale. In the games they won (one, two and six) they outscored New Jersey by a combined 15-4. In the games they lost (three, four, five and seven) New Jersey outscored them by a combined 13-2. Worse, their power play, which had played such an integral role in their success during the regular season, went 5-14 (35%) in the three wins, but a woeful 0-14 in the four losses.

So what went wrong? How did the most talented Rangers team in over a generation get booted in the first round? 

For starters, it's time to admit the obvious. Despite the success of last year's postseason, this was and is a flawed team. Talented, yes, but flawed nonetheless. Their inability or unwillingness to play a north-south stye of hockey that is demanded of all Stanley Cup contenders proved to be their Waterloo. Think back to the Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After he lost game two, Jon Cooper put the Cirelli line out against the Zibanejad line and the result was that the Rangers managed just one even strength goal the rest of the series.

Another problem that has consistently plagued this team is its lack of grit. In short, they still struggle to win battles in the corners and along the boards. Again, when they play against porous teams, they're fine; when they have to work to retrieve the puck, that's another story. All the more reason to question the decision to trade for Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. Yes, both are incredibly talented players; the latter is arguably the greatest American ever to lace up a pair of hockey skates. But talent was never a problem for the Rangers; intestinal fortitude was.

Just take a look at the greatest Rangers team of all time. That 1994 team, by any reasonably objective standard, was not the most talented team to ever take the ice. Indeed, the '92 team that was ousted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins was much more talented. But what the '94 team lacked in talent, it more than made up for in guts. They weren't just seasoned veterans; they were warriors who were used to the rigors of a long and grueling postseason. That team had the heart of a lion, and through sheer force of will, they brought a Cup home to a city that hadn't seen one since 1940.

Where are the Messiers, the Graves, the Matteaus, the Tikkanens, the MacTavishes, the Beukabooms on this Rangers team? Don't bother looking because they're not there. In fact, so long as we're being honest here, this team more closely resembles the '92 team - sans Messier and Graves - than the '94 team. Like I said, talented but flawed.

So now what? Where does GM Chris Drury go from here?

Clearly, Drury has some tough decisions ahead of him. Does he fire Gerard Gallant? If so, who does he bring in to replace him? What roster moves does he make? Does he tweak the lineup or are more drastic changes needed? Let's go through them one by one.

The head coach:

Two years ago, before Gallant was hired, I thought it would be a good idea for Drury to at least interview Rod Brind'Amour and Rick Tocchet. Brind'Amour's contract with the Carolina Hurricanes was expiring and he was available, while Tocchet had managed to get an Arizona Coyotes team that was barely north of an AHL roster into the qualifying round of the 2020 playoffs. Both men - especially Brind'Amour - are widely respected coaches who excel at Xs and Os; something Gallant is not particularly adept at. But Drury opted to go with "the bird in the hand," as I wrote back then. 

A players' coach, Gallant was the polar opposite of his predecessor, David Quinn. Not only did he make the playoffs last year, but he had the most wins by a first-year Rangers coach since Mike Keenan in '94. But the struggles that plagued them that year became exacerbated this year. An early-season slump led many to speculate that Gallant's days were numbered. After the Jacob Trouba helmet throwing incident against Chicago, the Rangers turned their season around, thus saving Gallant's job. But now with this humiliating defeat at the hands of the Devils, it's no better than 50/50 whether he survives. And that's a shame, considering he was one win shy of being the first coach in franchise history to reach 100 wins in his first two seasons behind the bench.

So who would replace Gallant? Joel Quenneville's name has come up. The former Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers head coach certainly has the credentials. He guided the Blackhawks to three Cups over a six-year period. It's his checkered past that is problematic. At best, he ignored the sexual assault scandal that rocked the Blackhawks organization and shocked the hockey community; at worst, he helped cover it up. Either way, it would not be a good look for the Rangers to hire him. Knowing James Dolan, I wouldn't put it past him to do just that. Assuming Gary Bettman reinstates Quenneville, he would be the odds-on favorite if a change is made.

Tarasenko and Kane:

There's been some speculation about keeping one of these two UFAs on a team-friendly deal. Hopefully, that's all it is: speculation. Frankly, neither contributed much since their arrival; in fact, their presence likely hurt the team chemistry, particularly the power play. The gymnastics Drury had to subject this team to just to fit Kane in under the cap became something of a running joke throughout the league. It was one of the few times during his tenure that he forced a square peg into a round hole, which leads me to believe that maybe Dolan had something to do with it.

What Drury needs to do is let both players go and use the cap savings to re-sign his own RFAs over the summer. There's a reason why they're called rentals and not purchases. The smart move is to give more ice time to Alexis Lafeniere and Kaapo Kakko, and bring up Will Cuylle and Brennan Othmann. If the Devils proved anything in this series it's that youth and inexperience aren't the liabilities some think they are.

Panarin:

While the Bread Man is unquestionably the most talented player on this team, and one of the league's elite playmakers, he is also the Mike Gartner of this generation. A great regular season player who wilts under the spotlight of the playoffs. He had two measly assists in the Devils series and frequently turned the puck over in the offensive and neutral zones.

His $11.6 million salary is the largest on the team, and even if Panarin would be open to waiving his no-move clause, Drury would have a hard time finding a team with sufficient space to accommodate his cap hit. And those teams that do have the cap space, would probably be teams Panarin would not agree to go to. 

But let's be optimistic and say there's a team willing to take on Panarin's contract - with a little salary retention by Drury - that Panarin would agree to go to. The Rangers could use that money to add some size to their lineup. Maybe Drury can finally get the checking center he's been after since he became President and GM. Both Sam Lafferty and Nick Bjugstad were supposedly on his short list at the trade deadline before he got distracted by Kane. As good as Barclay Goodrow is, he's not a natural center; his talents are better suited as a winger.

The Kid line:

It is time to shit or get off the pot for this trio. Assuming Drury re-signs Lafreniere - be it a bridge deal or something similar to what Filip Chytil got - the Rangers must find out what they have with these players. Chytil finally had a breakout year in his fifth season, while both Kakko and Lafreniere showed definite signs of improvement. Regardless of who is behind the bench next season, it is imperative that all three get more ice time, either as a unit or on different lines.

For those who feel that Drury should trade Lafreniere. I would caution against doing that. Having lived through both the John Ferguson and Phil Esposito eras, the last thing this organization needs is another Rick Middleton or Mike Ridley flourishing on another team. Even if Othmann does get promoted, there's no guarantee he would be become the player in the NHL that he is in the juniors. 

Use the trade deadline the way it was intended next time.

Teams make trades for a variety of reasons, but typically playoff-bound teams use the trade deadline to add complimentary pieces to a roster that is otherwise set. That is precisely what Drury did last season when he acquired Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun. All four complimented what was already there. Adding Tarasenko and Kane had the opposite affect. Instead of complimentary pieces, Tarasenko and Kane were viewed as mercenaries brought in specifically to deliver the Cup. Just imagine the message that sent in the locker room. You're not good enough so we imported these two future Hall of Famers to save your ass. And people wonder why this team looked lost the last month of the season. 

Look at what Toronto and Edmonton did at the deadline. The Leafs acquired Ryan O'Reilly, Noel Acciari and Sam Lafferty, while the Oilers picked up Nick Bjugstad and Mattias Ekholm. All have been solid additions to their respective teams. That's how it's done. Next time around, Drury should stick with what works. Compliment your talent; not supplant it.

Yes, the 2022-23 season didn't end the way it was supposed to. But given the plethora of NMC contracts on the team and the lack of cap space that Drury will have to work with next season, there isn't much he can do to dramatically change this roster short of blowing it up. That would mean another rebuild, and I doubt Dolan would stand for that.

If he does decide to replace the coach, he should go with someone who doesn't have enough baggage to start his own airline; someone who works well with younger players as well as older players; someone who can finally convince players like Panarin and Zibanaejad that playing north-south hockey is in their best interest.

Wonder what Mike Keenan is doing these days?

Rangers Have the Opportunity of a Lifetime

The 2023 NHL postseason has certainly seen more than its fair share of surprises. As of last night, 43 playoff games have been played and the road team has won 27 of them. That comes out to a road winning percentage of 62.8. How unusual is that? Through the first round of last year's playoffs, the road team had won only 22 of a possible 51 games for a winning percentage of 43.1. Home cookin' it seems ain't all it's cracked up to be this postseason.

And that bodes well for a Rangers team that in a best of seven series against the New Jersey Devils, won its first two games on the road, then dropped the next two at home. In any other year, facing a game seven on the road, the Rangers would likely be polishing up their golf clubs, especially given that in ten road games last year, the Blueshirts won only twice. Though to be fair, one of those wins did come in Raleigh against the Hurricanes, so I guess anything is possible.

The Bottom line is that this will not be your typical road game for the men in blue. Not only do they have a chance against the Devils, but based on what happened last night, they should be the favorites to win. That's because last night, both the Presidents' trophy winner Boston Bruins and the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche lost their respective game sevens in their buildings.

Presidents' trophy winners shitting the bed in the first round are not that rare an occurrence. It's happened six times in the cap era. The Bruins are just the latest example of why it's so hard to be a dominant team over an 82-game regular season AND still have enough left in the tank for a grueling playoff run. Boston looked gassed last night against a Florida Panthers team that on paper had no business being on the same ice with them. Oh, well.

But getting back to the Rangers. While the hockey gods may be favoring the road teams this postseason, by no means are they a lock to advance. That's because the Devils are one of the best teams in the NHL. Like I said before the start of the playoffs, this was the worst possible opponent the Rangers could've drawn in the first round. Since game two, New Jersey has been the better and quicker team in the series. And even though the Rangers finally managed to solve Akira Schmid in game six, it was only due to the sheer brilliance of their own goalie Igor Shesterkin that they managed to get to a seventh game. With a GAA of 1.79 and a SV% of .939, he has been, by far, the best player on either team.

But while beating this Devils team will not be an easy task, the Rangers must find a way to do so. Here's why. Both the Bruins and the Tampa Bay Lightning are gone. The Carolina Hurricanes look more like a MASH unit than a hockey team. The Toronto Maple Leafs are literally the only thing standing between the winner of this series and a trip to the Cup finals. An opportunity like this might not come around again for a very long time.

But if the Rangers need another incentive to win, it's this: The Devils are on the verge of becoming the team to beat in the Eastern Conference for the foreseeable future. Think about it. Both the Bruins and the Lightning are past their primes; the Canes, even when they're healthy, are not a legit contender; the Leafs have more skeletons in their closet than a haunted mansion on Halloween; the Islanders will never amount to anything so long as Lou Lamoriello is running the show; and the Rangers window to win is maybe two to three more years at best. To quote Elvis Presley, "It's now or never."

Chris Drury has assembled a team that is ready to win this year, not next year or the year after that. He has put all his chips on the table. A failure in the first round against the Devils will be a bitter pill to swallow for the entire organization. That is why, come hook or crook, the Rangers must find a way to not let that happen.

So how do they avoid playoff Armageddon? For starters, they must stop trying to skate with New Jersey. The Rangers may be the deeper team, but they are not the more athletic one. Trying to match speed with them is tantamount to a suicide mission. What the Rangers need to do is control the neutral zone like they did in games one and two.

That won't be easy. The Devils are not the same team they were in the first two games. To use a Star Trek vernacular, they've gone from sub-light to warp eight. Letting them off the ropes in game three might be the single-worst playoff mistake the Rangers have ever made.

Another thing they have to is dump the puck into the offensive zone and get in on the forecheck. Both the Zibanejad and Tarasenko goals in the second period of game six came as a result of the Rangers pinning the Devils in their own zone. As skilled as New Jersey is, they are not very physical. The one advantage the Rangers have is their size; they must use it or lose it.

Shesterkin will give them every chance to win tonight, but he cannot single-handedly drag them across the finish line. The stars have to come through. There is no tomorrow if they don't.

I predicted the Rangers in seven and I'm sticking with it. So far, I've been wrong twice: the Bruins and the Avalanche. Let's hope it stays that way. 

Power Outage

There are two ways of looking at Saturday night's 2-1 OT loss to the Devils. 

One, for the third consecutive game, the Rangers did a good job with their puck management, limiting the number of odd-man rushes New Jersey had out of their zone. Indeed, had the Blueshirts converted on just one of the five power plays they were awarded, they most likely would've won in regulation and we'd be talking about a potential sweep tonight.

Two, the Rangers let the opportunity of a lifetime slip through their fingers, and now they have to deal with an opponent that is not only alive and well but is one win away from taking control of this series; a series, to be honest, they have no business even being in.

In this instance, both statements are true. Yes, the Rangers have been, by far, the better team in this best of seven matchup. They have set the tempo in all three games and have forced the speedy Devils to work hard for what little scoring chances they've gotten. Dougie Hamilton's overtime winner was the first 5v5 goal his team has scored in nine and half periods. Think about that.

But like any wrestler knows all too well, you never let your opponent off the mat once you have him pinned. And the Rangers were on the verge of pinning the Devils with both shoulders. Less than a minute after Chris Kreider scored to make it 1-0, Ryan Graves was called for interference. All the Rangers had to do was score on their ensuing power play and it would've been 2-0. Not quite game, set and match, but pretty damn close. Let's put it this way, the fat lady would've been warming up her vocal cords between periods.

I cannot stress this enough. It is vital that the Rangers come out guns a blazin' tonight. No pussy footin' around. Enough with the mutual admiration society posing as a power play unit. This isn't an NHL all-star game; it's a playoff round; the first of what the Rangers hope will be four. At the Prudential Center, there was no dicking around with the man advantage. When they had the shot, they took it. The results - four for ten on the power play - speak for themselves. 

I don't know what happens to this team when they get in front of their home crowd, but if it isn't nipped in the bud soon - and by soon I mean tonight - they will be playing golf with the Islanders in May.

I'm not joking around here. Saturday night's win gave the Devils something they didn't have before: hope. And to paraphrase a famous line from a well-known movie, "Hope is a dangerous thing." Another win by the Devils and the trajectory of this series will change, perhaps irrevocably. The Rangers will have the unenviable task of having to win three games in their opponent's building. Impossible? No. Improbable? Yes.

The good news is that, for now, the Rangers are still the masters of their own fate. They have the ability to correct what went wrong; they've done it all season. They know the Devils didn't so much win the game as they lost it. And that will work in their favor. Though the Devils escaped with a victory, they are by no means out of the woods. Technically speaking, they are still very much the underdogs in this series, regardless of who Lindy Ruff starts in goal.

And that is precisely where the Rangers must keep them. The Devils will push harder than they did in game three, you can count on that. But the Rangers have the deeper and more experienced team. They were made for moments like this. If they stay focused and disciplined with the puck, and they do a better job finishing around the net - especially on the power play - they'll be playing the Carolina Hurricanes in the next round.

If they don't; if they squander this opportunity and allow the Devils to take the series, it will be the longest summer of their lives.

Road Sweet Home

Two up, two down, two to go.

Going into their best of seven series against the New Jersey Devils, I said the Rangers needed to do two things in order to advance: manage the puck well and win the special teams battle.

Well, mission accomplished - so far. Back-to-back, 5-1 road wins by the Blueshirts. Impressive doesn't begin to describe it. Through the first two games, they have not only shut down the NHL's fourth best offense, they've converted on four of ten power play opportunities, while killing seven of eight Devils power plays. New Jersey's top four scorers - Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt - have a combined one goal and no assists. And that one goal by Hughes came courtesy of the lamest penalty shot ever awarded in a professional hockey game. 

Not even the most incurable optimist could've predicted such a dominant performance by this team. And while I'm not one to count my chickens before they hatch, the way the Rangers are playing, I'm not sure there's anything the Devils can do to alter the trajectory of this series. I haven't seen a Rangers team this locked in since - dare I say it? - 1994. That team - led by Mark Messier - swept the Islanders in the first round and beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 in the second, on its way to capturing the organization's first Stanley Cup in 54 years. And this team has more talent than that team. Think about that.

If ever there was an example where analytics was useless, it is here. Every so-called expert - including yours truly - thought the Devils were a terrible matchup for the Rangers. Their speed and skill would be difficult, if not impossible, to contend with. But after two games, it is the Blueshirts that have given the Devils fits. 

The Rangers have been incredibly disciplined with the puck, especially in the neutral zone, and that has limited the number of odd-man rushes the Devils have been able to generate. They have also taken away much of the ice from both Hughes and Hischier, virtually shutting down their passing lanes, In two games, Hughes has nine giveaways. To put that in perspective, the Rangers have that many as a team.

Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane are proving to be this franchise's best trade deadline pickups since Stephane Matteau, Brian Noonan and Craig MacTavish. Yes, I'm going there. Tarasenko has two goals while Kane has a goal and three assists. In game two, he stripped the puck from Bratt in the neutral zone, sprinted down the ice and beat Vitak Vanecek on a gorgeous backhander. So much for a bad hip.

But it is Adam Fox and Chris Kreider who are putting on a clinic in this series. Fox has six assists while Kreider has all four of his team's power play goals. The Devils have had no answer for either. And the Rangers have done all this with their number one center Mika Zibanejad contributing just one assist. Tell me you saw that coming.

Games three and four are at Madison Square Garden Saturday and Monday nights, If the Rangers are smart, they will avoid a repeat of what happened to them last postseason when they were up two games to none over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals and lost in six. That was a bitter pill for this group to swallow. A learning experience, you could say. And while the Devils are no Lightning, they certainly have the ability to extend this series, if the Rangers let them.

That's why they can't allow that to happen. They must put the Devils out of their misery. The Rangers are the better team. They have superior depth, they have more experience, and if that isn't good enough, they have Igor Shesterkin. 

They are in control of their own destiny. This is their moment. They need to seize it.

*Note: an earlier version of this piece had a typo. The Rangers were up two games to none over the Tampa Bay Lightning last postseason. Unfortunately, I typed one instead of none. I have made the correction. Sorry for the confusion.

Rangers Flirting with Disaster

With six games to go in the regular season we know two things: One, barring a complete collapse by the New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes - very unlikely - the Rangers will finish in third place in the Metropolitan division; and two, apart from Igor Shesterkin and Jaroslav Halak, this team isn't remotely ready for what promises to be a grueling postseason.

For the seventh time in the last thirteen games, the Rangers got off to a slow start and were forced to come from behind. Below is a list of those games in which they trailed early. I've included the goal deficit and, in parenthesis, what the final outcome was.

3/9    -  @ Canadiens 1-0 (W)

3/11  -  @ Sabres 1-0 (W)

3/12  -  @ Penguins 1-0 (OTL)

3/23  -  @ Hurricanes 1-0 (W)

3/25  -  @ Panthers 2-0 (W)

3/30  -  @ Devils 2-0 (L)

3/31  -  @ Sabres 2-0 (OTL)

As you can see, the problem is getting worse, not better. Over the last three games, the deficit has grown from one goal to two goals. And it was only due to the herculean efforts of Shesterkin and Halak that the deficit wasn't greater. And, yes, I know they won four of those games. That's not the point. The point is this team is too talented to be getting off to these kinds of starts.

Why does it matter how big the deficit is? Because overcoming a one-goal deficit is one thing; overcoming a multi-goal deficit is quite another, especially in the playoffs. The two opponents the Rangers are likely to face in the first round - the Hurricanes and the Devils - defend very well with the lead. Carolina, in particular, is among the best in the league at it. Be honest for a moment. You think the Rangers win in Raleigh if the Canes go up two goals? Me neither.

This is no longer an anomaly; it's become an alarming trend, and it's one that must be corrected soon. Shesterkin might be able to steal one or two games in a best of seven series, but there's no way in hell he steals four. And the way this team has been playing of late that is precisely what they'd be asking him to do. The last time a goaltender won four rounds all by himself was - wait for it - NEVER! Not even the great Andrei Vasilevski had to do that for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Elite goaltending puts you in a position to win the close games. Shesterkin did that for the Rangers last year in the playoffs. On numerous occasions he was asked to come up with critical saves when the score was tied or his team was ahead. For instance, after the Rangers went up 2-0 on a power play goal against the Hurricanes in game seven, Igor robbed Teuvo Teravainen point blank to keep Carolina off the board.

The difference between playing with a lead and playing from behind is huge. Teams that play with the lead typically expend less energy because they're not chasing the puck while teams that are playing from behind are forced to take more and more chances in order to draw even. In that very same game seven against Carolina last year, once the score got to be 3-0 Rangers, the Hurricanes had no choice but to open it up. And once they did that, the Blueshirts turned a close game into a rout.

Attempts to shrug this off as simply an example of a team that is just waiting for the playoffs to begin won't cut it. Going into New Jersey, the Rangers were two points out of second place. They had every incentive to win the game. The Devils were coming off a disheartening loss to the Islanders at UBS, while the Rangers had just drubbed the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 at MSG. The stars were all in alignment. For the first time since the start of the season, they had control of their own destiny. All they had to do was put in a solid 60 minute effort. Instead, they slept-walked through the first period and the Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The Rangers were the better team over the last two periods, but they weren't able to overcome their woeful start.

Now imagine if instead of a regular season loss, that had been game seven of the first round. And don't kid yourself; it very well could be. Contrary to what I've been reading on Twitter, there's no magic switch that teams turn on once the postseason starts. You're either ready to go or you're not. If you recall, last year against the Pens, the Rangers had two of their worst performances of the season in games three and four in Pittsburgh and fell behind 3-1 in the series. Thankfully, the Blueshirts were playing a flawed team with a third-string goalie in net and they were able to come back and win. They will not be so fortunate this time around. If they play like they have of late, they will be hitting golf balls instead of hoisting the Cup this spring.

If you think I'm overreacting, consider this: last night in Cleveland, the Knicks, minus Julius Randle, beat the Cavaliers by 14 points; meanwhile in Buffalo, the Rangers, with an all-star cast, lost in OT to a Sabres team that was without Tage Thompson. 

If it's true that success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration, it would behoove the Rangers to start breaking a sweat before it's too late. Perhaps Gerard Gallant, who was verbally "pissed" after the loss in Buffalo, can start throwing helmets in the locker room.

Hey, it worked once before, didn't it?

Rangers Rolling Towards the Playoffs

Sometimes all you can do is sit back and enjoy the show. And what a show it's been.

Over the last two games, the Rangers have shutout the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators 6-0 and 7-0 respectively. Remember when we were concerned about this team's ability to jell? Well, guess what? Mission accomplished as far as the jelling is concerned. Just look at these numbers.

K'Andre Miller: 2 goals, 4 assists

Artemi Panarin: 3 goals, 2 assists

Mika Zibanaejad: 2 goals, 3 assists

Jacob Trouba: 1 goal, 3 assists

Vincent Trocheck: 3 assists

Chris Kreider: 2 goals

Vladimir Tarasenko: 1 goal, 1 assist

Filip Chytil: 1 goal, 1 assist

Patrick Kane: 2 assists

Adam Fox: 2 assists

Tyler Motte: 1 goal

Barclay Goodrow: 1 assist

Kaapo Kakko: 1 assist

Jaroslav Halak: 1 assist

As you can see, the scoring was pretty well distributed throughout the roster. Line one had twelve points; line two had seven points; line three had three points; line four had two points; and the defense had a whopping twelve points. Even the goalie had an assist. The three forwards Chris Drury acquired at the trade deadline are making their mark. Tarasenko has five goals and eight assists in nineteen games; Kane has three goals and four assists in nine games; and Motte has two goals and two assists in twelve games. Gerard Gallant has been looking to roll four lines since his arrival. Now he can.

The last time a team scored six plus goals in consecutive shutout wins was 1977 when the Philadelphia Flyers accomplished it. Beginning in the third period of that first home game against the Penguins - a 4-2 win - the Rangers have scored fifteen unanswered goals, the most by a team this season, and the most for the franchise since 1973. When you have to go all the way back to the '70s to find a comparable performance, you've done something pretty damn special.

And speaking of special, going into last night's game, the Rangers had scored power play goals in five of their last seven games, going 6 for 20 over that span for a 30 percent conversion rate. Conversely, they'd killed off 22 out of 24 penalties in their last eight games for a 91.7 percent kill rate. That's about as elite as it gets. FYI: teams that get that kind of performance from their special teams in the playoffs typically go deep.

But as impressive as this recent onslaught was to behold, even more gratifying was the performance in net from Igor Shesterkin and Halak. Both made huge saves early in their respective starts to keep the game scoreless until the offense got going, and later on to preserve the shutout. It cannot be overstated just how critical it is for this team to have both their goaltenders in top form going into the postseason, especially Shesterkin. Put succinctly, they will go only as far as Igor takes them.

It was only a few weeks ago that yours truly was sounding the alarm over last year's Vezina trophy winner. Shesterkin's overall numbers were already off from last season, that was obvious. But since the All-Star break, they've been particularly bad. In February, his goals against average was a season-high 3.71 and his save percentage was a woeful .863. Pucks that he routinely turned away were now getting past him. 

Since the beginning of March, though, his numbers have improved considerably. His GAA is 2.10 and his SV% is .928. Over his last four starts, they've really taken off. He's allowed only six goals on 129 shots for a .953 save percentage. And Halak in his last two starts has allowed only three goals on 57 shots for a .947 save percentage. Now that's what I call a dynamic duo.

Having a reliable backup goaltender, in what promises to be a long and grueling playoff tournament, will give Gallant the option of resting Shesterkin a game or two. Last postseason, he had no choice but to ride his number one goalie pretty much the whole way. This postseason, he'll have Halak in the bullpen should he need him. Among the top teams in the East, only the Boston Bruins have a better tandem.

And now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Are the Rangers a legitimate contender? Yes, they are. Mind you, they still have a few kinks to iron out on defense, where they still give up a few too many scoring chances, but I suspect that will improve dramatically once Ryan Lindgren returns; hopefully in the next few games. As of right now, I'd rate them as the second best team in the conference behind only the Bruins. They're better and deeper than last year's team and they have the goaltending to go all the way. 

The Rangers are 6-0-1 in their last seven games, five points behind the New Jersey Devils and six points behind the Carolina Hurricanes. It is not inconceivable that they could catch both teams. They play the Canes in a home and home Tuesday and Thursday, followed by the Florida Panthers Saturday on the road, the Columbus Blue Jackets next Tuesday at the Garden and the Devils the following Thursday in Jersey. A sweep of all five games could potentially catapult them into first place in the Metro division.

Like I said, sometimes all you can do is sit back and enjoy the show.

Rangers Still Have Some Nagging Concerns

Let's start with the good news. Since Jacob Trouba threw his helmet at the boards in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Garden back on December 3 - a 5-2 loss which dropped their record to 11-10-5 - the Rangers have gone 15-4-3. During that stretch, they put together a seven-game win streak and managed to beat some pretty good teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes. Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars. Even in three of the losses - 3-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in regulation, 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a shootout and 3-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs last night in overtime - the Rangers were the better team for much of the game.

In fact, the only duds I was able to find were a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the Washington Capitals coming off the Christmas break and a 2-1 loss against the lowly Montreal Canadiens eleven days ago. Both games were at the Garden. I was tempted to include the 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins last week, but chose not to. The fact is the Bruins are so hot right now, even if the Rangers had played a perfect game, I doubt they would've beaten them. Boston is on track to finish the season with 139 points. To put that in perspective, the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens, generally acknowledged to be the greatest hockey team ever assembled, had 132.

But here's the bad news. With all that the Rangers have accomplished over the last few weeks, there are still some nagging concerns that need to be addressed if they have any hope of winning the Stanley Cup.

The Power Play continues to struggle. Over the last twenty-two games, the Rangers have converted 14 of 61 power play chances for a 22.9 percent efficiency. On the surface, that doesn't sound too shabby. However, six of those power play goals were scored against the Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St Louis Blues and Blackhawks; teams that play defense about as well as Marv Throneberry used to play first base for the New York Mets; one goal against the Hurricanes was actually a pass that the goalie fanned on; and two more were scored while the Rangers were on a 5 on 3 man advantage. In the five games where the Rangers lost by a goal either in regulation, overtime or the shootout, they went a collective 0 for 12 on the power play, including last night's brutal 3-2 OT loss in Toronto, in which Chris Kreider shanked a tip in of a Mika Zibanejad goal-mouth pass with the Blueshirts ahead 2-1 in the third period. Just one power play goal in each of those games would've likely changed the outcome. Which brings us to the next nagging concern.

Lack of a killer instinct. There's just no way around it. This team, for all its talent, has been unable to put away its opponents. Last season, the Rangers were 48-5-4 when tied or ahead going into the third period. So far this season, the Rangers are 22-3-8 when tied or ahead going into the third. The good news is that they managed to salvage a point in each of those eight OT/SO losses; the bad news is they surrendered eight points that were theirs for the taking. And that's eight points too many for a team that's currently in third place in the Metropolitan division and is trailing the Devils by six points. Think about this. If the Rangers had scored just one additional goal in six of those eight non-regulation losses, they'd be in second place right now, only two points behind the first place Hurricanes. If they had scored an extra goal in all eight games, they'd be in first. That, right there, is the difference between having home ice in the first two rounds of the playoffs vs. playing a game seven on the road in all four.

Now you know why Chris Drury didn't look too happy in the above picture. He watched his team - a very talented team - outplay the Maple Leafs for two and half periods, only to blow a one-goal lead late in the third and lose the game in overtime. He's seen this movie too many times this season and it never ends well. He was tasked by James Dolan to turn this franchise around and make it into a legitimate contender. In just his first full season as GM and President, the Rangers made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals. They were two wins away from their first Cup final appearance since 2014 and six wins away from their first Stanley Cup championship since 1994.

He knows the stakes. He willingly signed up for them. Failure is not an option. This team, with all its warts, must win at least one round in the playoffs; two would be preferable. The fact is, though, if the regular season were to end today, the Rangers would open up against the Devils and likely lose in six or seven games.

That's why these next few weeks are so critical. The trade deadline is March 3. Drury has to find at least one scoring winger and a shutdown center. And he has to be able to acquire both without doing what his predecessor did: mortgaging the future. Assuming he can unload Sammy Blais, either through waivers or by trading him, he'll have over $7 million in deadline cap space. That should be sufficient to get the job done. The problem is he won't be the only GM looking to improve his team's playoff prospects. Across the Hudson, his counterpart Tom Fitzgerald will be working the phones for the Devils. I have no doubt Dolan has made it abundantly clear to Drury that losing to New Jersey is a non-starter. Twice before this organization has been eclipsed by a cross-town rival: the Islanders in the '80s and the Devils in the '90s and '00s. The third time, I can assure you, will not be the charm.

Last season, after 48 games, the Rangers were 31-13-4 for 66 points. This season, after 48 games, they're 26-14-8 for 60 points. Bottom line? This team can still win the Cup. Or it can go out in the first round.