The New York Rangers have been playing better, but they’ll have to keep it up in a tightly contested Metropolitan Division.
Everyone expected teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Washington Capitals to be competitive, but there have been a few surprises. The New Jersey Devils lead the division with 24 points.
Yet, just six points separates first and last place. The Philadelphia Flyers currently sit eighth in the division, but have a total of 18 points. To put that in perspective, even with their six game winning streak that was just snapped last night, the Rangers are in sixth place and only have 20 points.
While their win streak was needed, it doesn’t mean the Rangers can rest on their laurels. Obviously, not every team from the Metropolitan can make the playoffs, so it’s time to analyze who are the contenders and who are the pretenders.