In the midst of a rebuild, the New York Rangers 5-7-1 start though the first 13 games in October was anticipated.
The Rangers went 0-3-0 through in their first three games, and despite having won four games, they have only won one game in regulation.
Although there have been many losses so far, there have not been many blowouts. The Rangers have been a fun team to watch, with many close contests under their belt so far.
Eight of their 13 games have been decided by a difference of just one goal. And obviously all five of the games they have won have been decided by just one goal as they have come in overtime or a shootout.
While the Rangers offense has been producing, their defense has been bleeding shots. This was a common theme during the course of the 2017-18 season when Henrik Lundqvist made over 40 saves in 13 appearances last season.
This trend has continued into this season, with Lundqvist making over 40 saves in two of their contests already this season.
This is likely in part due to the team adjusting to a new defensive system under first year coach David Quinn, but also shows that the Rangers have a lot of ground to make up in this area as they make decisions for the future.
Lucky for the Rangers, they have a veteran goaltender who will go down as one of the best to play the game, who, even at the age of 37, can keep them in games.
So the bottom line is that despite this season’s losses, the Rangers are playing some fun hockey to start the year.
Here are some of the top plays from the month of October.