The New York Rangers finally managed to squeak out their first win of the season. How long will it be before they manage to win their second?
Record: 2-1-1
Scores: NYR vs SJ 3-2 W, NYR vs EDM 2-1 L, NYR vs Col 3-2 W, NYR vs WSH 4-3 OTL
The New York Rangers are a winless team no more. The rebuilders were able to get their first win against the San Jose Sharks in overtime after tying it late in the third period. The game wasn’t pretty by any means, the Rangers played an utterly sloppy game defensively and offensively. However, a win is a win, and will serve as a morale booster for the players and staff alike.
Funnily enough, the Rangers played the better of the two games against the Edmonton Oilers. However, they were simply not able to converge on their chances. While Mika Zibanejad was able to get his first goal of the season, he could have had a hat trick had he not continuously hit the posts. Nevertheless, the Oilers managed two walk away with the win.
The team then split a back to back against two teams (Washington and Colorado) that made the postseason last year. New York’s effort was good enough to win on both nights, but Washington simply had too much talent to overcome.
With a rebuilding team, it’s easy to get lost in thoughts of losing is best and any wins are detrimental to tanking. However, as a player, constant losing is demoralizing. For a team with such young players who haven’t experienced the intense winning culture that surrounded the team for so many years, it is especially taxing.
This isn’t to say that a rebuild isn’t what the Rangers need. After seeing the budding success of the young players, it appears to be exactly what they need.