New York Rangers: Five Players Who Own the Rangers

Every team has opposing players who end up tearing them to shreds in nearly every game, whether its a point per game player, or someone who scores clutch goals.

The New York Rangers are no different from Superman, with a kryptonite of their own. This kryptonite happens to revolve around certain players who play exceptionally well against the Rangers. Players who can go under the radar, somehow pop up against certain teams, like the Rangers. To dominate a team to a level of point per game play, or more, is certainly a tough thing to accept. Also including players who scores incredibly important goals in the elimination of, or process of elimination of a team. These players often get little credit for their accomplishments against a single team. However, these players certainly deserve some credit for what they do to the Rangers. Some names may be surprising, some may not.

Here are five players who own the New York Rangers.

John Tavares

Would it really be a list without one of the Rangers most commonly faced adversary? John Tavares is one of the most underrated players in the entire league and receives a fraction of the credit he deserves. The Islanders captain always finds a way to impact the game against the Rangers. In just 40 games played against the Rangers, Tavares has acculmulated 14 goals, 23 assists for a total of 37 points.

A near point per game player is nothing to sneeze at. Even only 37 points in 40 games is a good total and is not exactly an “expectation”. It is considered the most talented players play to point per game standards, and Tavares is certainly close.

With 565 points in 611 games, Tavares has had a solid contribution to the Islanders point totals in his career, and the Rangers are certainly a huge target for him.

The Rangers always have a clear defensive assignment in mind when they play the Islanders, and its John Tavares, for good reason.

Justin Williams

This is the player who single-handedly toppled the Rangers hoped of winning the Stanley cup in 2014. A three time cup winner, Justin Williams is branded a clutch playoff performer. Despite his reputation in the playoffs, Williams, has only scored more than 70 points once in his career in 2005-06. Williams still finds a way to score in nearly two thirds of the playoff games he has played in.

On top of his overall  accolades and how he is seen in the league; Williams has put up a convincing 30 points in 38 games against the New York Rangers. Williams happened to score a hat-trick against the Rangers as a Washington Capital.

Williams also contributed heavily to a Rangers loss in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, as well as giving the Kings a win in game one. He should’ve thanked Dan Girardi for that one.

For a player not known around the league for being an elite offensive player, Williams often ties the Rangers hands single handedly. Don’t forget, Williams has a career Corsi at 57%, which is astonishingly impressive.

Marian Hossa

Credited as one of the best two way wingers of this generation, Marian Hossa has put up nearly a point per game(either more, or 4 or less points away from total games played against) against 16 teams in the NHL. The Rangers are one of the teams that he is nearly a point per game player. Scoring 48 points in 50 games against the Rangers.

Hossa is 38th all time in +/- with 25 Hall of Fame members in front of him. However, Hossa only has a +3 against the Rangers. Hossa eliminated the Rangers in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinal with an overtime goal in game 5 while playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hossa certainly earned the reputation of a great scorer and an even better two-way player over his career and has dominated many teams, with the Rangers being one of his prime targets. Of the 30 franchises in the league during Hossa’s career, he has the fifth most against the Rangers.

Artemi Panarin

Of all the players on this list, Artemi Panarin has the smallest sample size, and the second highest points per game totals. A two time 70 point scorer, Panarin has demonstrated to the whole league that he is capable of scoring. In seven games against the Rangers, Panarin has scored nine points, including a hat trick against the Rangers as a Blackhawk.

Panarin has scored seven goals in seven games against the Rangers, with those two extra assists.  Panarin tends to go under the radar due to his relative inexperience in the league and who he’s played with. In only two and a quarter seasons in the league, the young Russian product can only increase his goal totals against the Rangers, as they just do not seem to have a system to defend him.

Panarin seems to dominate the three teams in the NYC Metropolitan area as well, with a point per game against the Devils in four games, and two points per game against the Islanders in 10 games.