New York Rangers mission impossible: Beat the Golden Knights
By Steve Paulus
The New York Rangers conclude their three game road trip with a visit to Sin City to take on the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights are probably the last team the Rangers want to be playing.
Winless in 2019, the New York Rangers are taking on one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The Golden Knights have won six games in a row and have the longest home point streak in the NHL at 11 games.
On November 20, the Golden Knights had a record of 9-12-1 and were tied for sixth place in the Pacific Division, 25th overall in the NHL. Since then, they’ve gone 17-3-3, are in second place in the Pacific and have the fourth best record in the league. Yikes.
On that same date, the Rangers were in second place in the Metropolitan Division and five points ahead of Vegas overall in the standings. How times have changed.
The litany of Ranger woes is overwhelming. 18 goals allowed in three games. One goal scored per game. 15 penalties taken in three games. No points by the top line in the streak. It’s bad. The question is, do the Rangers have a chance?
The bottom line is that the Rangers are nine points out of a playoff spot, but are still in contention. They are also only only six points better than the worst team in the league.
The good news is that in the NHL any team can win. In the last week, Chicago beat Pittsburgh, the Blues topped the Capitals and the Wild beat the Maple Leafs. The Rangers rebounded from a disappointing overtime loss to Vegas in December and beat Anaheim, a playoff team. A combination of mental toughness and a little puck luck will go a long way.