It's early, I know, but there's something different about this New York Rangers team; something we haven't seen in quite some time. And no, it's not the 4-1 record. The Rangers have gotten off to good starts before. Two years ago, they got off to a 7-2-1 start. We all know what happened that season.
No, the thing that's different about this Rangers team is HOW they're winning. After an opening night dud in Boston against the Bruins, in which they looked very much like last season's team, the Blueshirts have won four consecutive games, three in impressive fashion. They have yet to allow a goal in the first period.
The turnaround has been noticeable. While the Rangers rank 15th in the NHL in Corsi 5v5 shot attempts - no surprise given their history - they are second in team save percentage (.940) and first in team goals against average (1.60). They have the first and fourth best defensive pairings (Marcus Pettersson - Sean Dursi) and (Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox); and the 6th and 7th best forward lines (Gabe Perrault - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafreniere) and (Pavel Dorofeyev - J.T. Miller - Oliver Bjorkstrand).
As much as it pains me to admit it: Chris Drury did a much better job during the offseason than I gave him credit for. The acquisitions of Dorofeyev, Pettersson, Dursi and Bjorkstrand, along with Eeli Tolvanen and Alberts Smits (via the draft) have paid off handsomely. This team looks nothing like the bottom-feeder that was routinely booed off the ice by its fans last season. It's a much more cohesive unit. The forwards finish their checks; the defensemen rarely get caught pinching; the neutral zone coverage has been, for lack of a better term, exceptional; the penalty killers are aggressive in their checking; both power play units are getting good chances to score; and most importantly, they aren't relying on Igor Shesterkin to bail them out. While Shesterkin has been brilliant, he hasn't needed to be Super Man the way the team needed him to be in past seasons.
Case in point, Tuesday night's 5-2 win over the Islanders. Going into the third period, New York led 3-2. Normally, the Rangers would've gone into a shell and Igor would've been subjected to a barrage of shots. This time, however, the Blueshirts hunkered down. They limited the Isles to a measly 5 shots on goal the entire period. With 1:41 remaining in regulation, Zibanejad forced a neutral-zone turnover by Matthew Schaefer. Miller picked up the loose puck, skated into the Islanders zone and fed Lafreniere for the one timer into the empty net. Last season, Schaefer would've been allowed to skate into the Rangers zone to set up what would've been multiple scoring chances.
Lafreniere was clearly the best player on the ice for either team. He had a hat trick and assisted on Bjorkstrand's opening goal. I said going into the season that for the Rangers to be successful, Lafreniere was going to have to "deliver on his promise." And while I realize that two of his goals were empty netters, that doesn't detract from his level of play. Perrault is another player who has stood out so far. He has 2 goals and 2 assists this season. He's looked impressive on the first line with Zibanaejad and Lafreniere.
The defensive pairings have, for the most part, been solid, and have given this team something it hasn't had in a long time: stability. The Rangers can finally get out of their own zone without being hemmed in for long stretches. Not only that, but because they've been so successful at controlling the puck along the boards, the Rangers are better able to gain the offensive zone and set up their forecheck.
If there is one area of concern, it's the lack of goal scoring from the bottom six. So far, only Tolvanen has lit the lamp, though to be fair, Will Cuylle and Tye Kartye have three and two assists respectively. Mike Sullivan has to find a way to get production from these two lines for the Rangers to continue to do well. With the injury to Joe Veleno, that's going to be a bit harder.
The power play could use some work, too. Though it's generating chances, as I mentioned above, it isn't converting the way it needs to. It's currently 11th in the league; last season, it finished 4th. The penalty kill has been marginally better. It's currently 8th; last season, it was 13th. If Sullivan can get both into the top 5, this will be a very formidable team.
Like I said, it's still early. While there's a lot to like here, past Rangers teams have gotten off to good starts before, only to peter out as the season wore on. That 2024-25 team I mentioned above that got off to a 7-2-1 start, eventually finished 39-26-7.
Bottom line, if you're a Rangers fan, you're cautiously optimistic. But you also know you've seen this movie before. It never seems to end well.
