Remember that time when every hockey fan was asking, “Is it October yet?” Well now we’re already halfway through the NHL regular season and soon playoffs for the Stanley Cup will be what everyone is talking about. More than likely to be apart of that conversation is Alain Vigneault and the New York Rangers. The team has edged its way from the bottom half in league standings to border the top ten and grab a wildcard playoff spot. And they don’t appear to be slowing down. The Rangers have won the past 13 out of 14 match ups and are currently riding on a five-game winning streak, the highest in the league right now. Should the upward trend continue, the Rangers will secure a spot in the 2015 playoffs.
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What we’ve been seeing lately is consistent hockey after a bumpy start to the season. Injury and illness kept defense from performing anywhere near its best through October and November. The team seemed to be playing AHL level hockey at best as they didn’t look anywhere near the NHL team that made the Final last year. Then in December, the Rangers were finally working as a whole and beginning to make a comeback, winning game after game. Now in January with both offense and defense at full steam, the boys in blue are truly a team to be reckoned with. And that’s including backup goalie, Cam Talbot, who helped the Blueshirts defeat the 2014 Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, just a few days ago. Even the top team in the league, the Anaheim Ducks, couldn’t stop the Rangers from logging another win. New York completely swept California and it was almost unbelievable, but had to be expected by Alain Vigneault.
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The Broadway Blueshirts have completely turned around their image after winning against the most competitive teams in the league, surprising many fans including the optimistic ones. However, if there is one person who knew this would happen since October, it is Alain Vigneault. The Rangers’ head coach switched around the lineup as often as he chewed gum, approximately somewhere near 73 times (kidding, but it was a lot for sure). Some people might say this wouldn’t give the players enough time to get used to their positions, but when a team clicks, it clicks. Vigneault knew exactly what he was doing, figuring out the best line combinations with the healthy players that were at hand. He continued experimenting after all of defense was healthy again until something clicked and has kept the lineup relatively similar since then. Without Vigneault, the Rangers may have been stuck in a less-productive lineup and out of a playoff spot come mid-April. But with AV, it seems like you have to trust him and things will fall into place when they have to. And that’s exactly what’s happening.
The Rangers have only played in 39 games while the rest of the league has 40 or more under their belt. With a few games in hand likely to turn into a few more wins, and Vigneault leading the rest of the way, another chance at a Stanley Cup run looks certain for the New York Rangers.