The first quarter of the New York Rangers’ season is over, and it’s time to take a look at who’s hot and who’s not on Broadway.
Let’s start with some of the positives so far this season.
Who’s HOT
Mats Zuccarello
We might as well get the obvious out of the way.
Zuccarello is playing like an elite player right now. At this point, it’s all about consistency. Can Zuccarello keep a relative pace moving forward? He is averaging a point per game, and he’s a threat on the ice, even if he doesn’t make the score sheet.
Zucc isn’t afraid to get physical with anyone, back checks, and is great for team chemistry.
Perhaps the most impressive part of this: he’s producing after that nasty head injury he sustained last year.
Oscar Lindberg
When Martin St. Louis retired, there were reasons to be worried. The Blueshirt faithful were ready to run him out of town after the playoffs, but seemed to forget about those 20 goals he scored in the regular season.
Enter the Swedish rookie Lindberg.
Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Lindberg is second on the team in goals (7), and fourth in overall points (12). With these numbers, St. Louis is a distant memory (sort of, we’ll never forget that Mother’s Day goal in the playoffs versus the Pittsburgh Penguins).
Ron Dugay mentioned that the puck is “finding” Lindberg’s stick. This doesn’t just happen, it comes from great positioning.
This is Lindberg’s first season in the NHL, so there are going to be ebbs and flows in his game. But if this is a glimpse into what could be, it’s encouraging.
Kevin Klein
It boggles the mind how a player can look so bad in the preseason and then just turn it on a couple of weeks later.
There was substantial worry that Klein lost something in his game after he broke his arm last year. Klein never seemed quite right in last year’s playoff run, and fans everywhere were calling for his departure. But, it appears the consistent and solid player is back.
Klein’s never too hot or cold, but very reliable and this will be a big advantage moving forward.
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Henrik Lundqvist/Antti Raanta
Not much to say here.
The Rangers goaltending tandem has the ability to be special moving forward. They have a combined save percentage of .948 and a goals against average of 1.59.
Let’s not jinx that though.
Alain Vigneault
Vigneault seems more determined than ever to thread the needle this year.
There have been games where the team has won, and it was reported that he made the team skate sprints because he didn’t like the effort. That is a coach who is clearly communicating his expectations to the team.
After 2 failed finals appearances, Alain Vigneault has made his message loud and clear.
Good, is not good enough.
Who’s NOT
Dan Boyle
To be clear, Boyle is not on this list because of his recent play.
Boyle is on this list because Andrew Gross of the Bergen Record reported on his twitter (@AGrossRecord) that he is contemplating retirement.
Dan Boyle tells Record he is leaning toward retirement following this season https://t.co/jBqJu37Dkt
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) November 19, 2015
Mar 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Dan Boyle (22) waves as he
As it stands right now, the Rangers are in first place in the NHL, and why Boyle is discussing retirement now is worrisome.
His game has improved as of late with a strong plus/minus and a big shootout goal against the Ottawa Senators.
You can’t help but think that he has one foot out the door mentally.
Boyle should have kept his thoughts to himself and dealt with his retirement plans once the season is over.
Emerson Etem
Etem is starting to look like a disappointment.
He looks frazzled on the ice and while he does have some speed, it’s all for naught if he can’t produce. During Etem’s short stint on the first line with Zuccarello and Derek Brassard, he basically was a non-factor.
Many were hoping that Etem would have a renaissance on the Rangers, but it’s looking more and more like he’s a bust.
Rick Nash
Nash is here because he is paid to score. That being said, he’s still making a lot of plays, assisting on a lot of goals, and driving to the net.
It’s just a matter of time before he goes on a tear, right? He has always been a streaky player, and it would be more disconcerting if he were being kept to the outside and not making his presence known (see 2013-14 playoffs).
Nash leads the team with 43 shots, and one has to think he will start burying his chances sooner or later.
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
It would be splitting hairs to put anyone else on the “Not” portion of this list as the Rangers are silencing most of their critics. Dan Girardi sure has as of late. He has 5 points in his last 5 games. But wait…his corsi.
Who do you think belongs on this list? Who did we leave out? Comment below and let us know!