New York Rangers: Ranking the Metropolitan Division
Nearly 30 games into the season, it comes a little easier to predict how teams stand in terms of competitive ability for the season. The New York Rangers need to assess the division and understand who can play.
The Metropolitan division was the only division to have five teams finish with more than 97 points last season, followed by the Pacific division with four. The New York Rangers finished the 2017-18 season with 77 points, the worst total in the division. Last season the Rangers ownership came forward with their plan to rebuild.
A Message from Glen Sather and Jeff Gorton. pic.twitter.com/Q56CXS8vDc
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 8, 2018
Sather and Gorton mention how the Rangers have been highly competitive since 2005-06. The last two seasons featured nightmarish playoff exits to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators.
The Bad
The Metropolitan was once flooded with talent, brimming with at least six playoff worthy teams. However, this season that concept will very likely not stand true.
In the Metro, there are three teams that are more than likely not going to finish in the top 10 of the Eastern Conference:
Both the Flyers and the Penguins face a terrible dilemma allowing over 80 goals this season. The Penguins sit at a record of 10-9-4 seemingly due to their innate goal scoring ability. Three players on the Penguins have more than a point per game, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel. The Flyers have a record of 10-12-2 and unfortunately, they do not have the scoring prowess of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Only boasting one player with more than a point per game, captain Claude Giroux. Both teams have a very big need for defense, much like the Rangers.
Both are also dealing with injuries in the crease. The Flyers and Penguins lost respective goaltenders Brian Elliot and Matt Murray to injury in November. The Devils also are fighting a goal deficit, with a goal differential of -11. The Devils have a little more top line scoring than the Flyers in Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, however, after that the depth thins out considerably. Backup goaltender Cory Schneider has a staggering record of 0-5 and a goals against average above 4.5.
The Pretenders
As of right now in the month of November, the only true pretender in the Metropolitan is the New York Rangers. Given the alleged “rebuild” status still covering the team, one could assume that a playoff run is not in the Rangers best interest. However, the Rangers had played fairly well in their last 10 games, going 6-4. Recently hitting a brick wall and losing three of the last four, the Rangers lost a few key players to injury over the month of November. Perhaps the biggest contributor to the Rangers success this season are the contributions coming from every player on the roster.
Unlike the Flyers, Penguins, and Devils, the New York Rangers have a reinvigorated Henrik Lundqvist.
Goalie stats heatmap
— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) November 18, 2018
Bob has basically recovered in full at this point, with a slightly poor MD sv% the only area of weakness that's yet to correct. pic.twitter.com/YwWj3a8Ijd
The above tweet shows a list of NHL goaltenders in the league, with the cooler blue color corresponding to a positive number, and the warmer corresponding to the opposite. Lundqvist is the only goaltender on the list to have a positive correspondence in every category.
Despite tremendous support from their goaltender, the Rangers need to continue to outscore teams as a porous defense has the Rangers with a goal differential of -4, allowing 79 goals to scoring 75. Certainly not out of the question, however the scoring may not be sustainable.
Potential Contenders
Two teams who only sit one point behind the Rangers in the division certainly may have some claim to a playoff spot. Both teams feature a very young premier offensive threat and a reborn veteran goaltender. The Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders, headlined by Sebastian Aho and Mathew Barzal, can certainly sneak in past an inexperienced Rangers team. It would be open to debate that aside from the top scoring talent on each team that it would taper down pretty quicky. The Islanders leading scorers are Josh Bailey and Barzal with 21 points. However, past Valtteri Filppula with 16 points, the offense drags out. The Hurricanes follow a similar trend past Aho.
Despite the lack in scoring depth, the Islanders and Hurricanes have a pretty similar goal differentials and both feature old goalies learning new tricks. Both Thomas Greiss and Curtis McElhinney have put up great seasons so far. Greiss has a record of 8-4-1 and a goals against average of 2.45, and McElhinney has a 7-2 record with a 2.12 GAA.
It would not take much to skip over the Rangers in the case they lose some momentum in the near future, with decent overall teams.
The True Contenders
The teams that remain happen to be the reigning Stanley Cup Champion, and a team that has never advanced past the first round. The Washington Capitals and the Columbus Blue Jackets. These two teams lead the Metro division at the time of writing, and both teams score and get scored on frequently. Both driven by potent offensive forces, with three 20+ point scorers for the Jackets, and four 20+ points scorers for the Capitals.
Naturally, both of these teams are led by purebred Rangers killers, Artemi Panarin, and Alexander Ovechkin. Combined with a decent group of scoring players around them, these teams alone could survive without any incredibly differences. Columbus, a hair below league average in special teams altogether, and Washington just below the median in penalty kill. However, Washington does possess a staggering 28% Power play percentage which is no surprise coming from the team that boasts an annual superstar power play.
Next. How many Rangers' goals will it take to get to the playoffs?. dark
Regardless of how these teams wrap their seasons, the Rangers play in an incredibly strange division full of possibility and potential.