3. This Team
Man, I love this team.
No matter what happens this year, I absolutely love this damn team.
While this season was considered the true final year of the rebuild, the Rangers have far exceeded expectations to put themselves on the cusp of an early return to the postseason.
But, whether it happens or not, you can’t play down just how far this young group have come under the careful tutelage of Head Coach David Quinn.
After months of inconsistency, the Blueshirts have finally discovered the winning ingredient that is knowing how to gut a game out.
They now play with an admirable level of maturity and, while mistakes do still rear their ugly head, this team also boasts character and heart in abundance.
Nothing seems to faze them anymore and this was on full display on Thursday night against a Capitals team that, while having been mired in a slump as of late, are still an elite team.
Still reeling from the news that Chris Kreider will be out for 4-6 weeks with a fractured foot, the Rangers dropped three straight to seriously damage their postseason hopes.
However, the Blueshirts drained that out of their system to stun the Capitals, overcoming a bucketload of adversity in the process.
After falling behind to a goal from Carl Hagelin, the Rangers took the lead on four separate occasions, only to be pegged back by the Capitals each time.
But that didn’t deter this group who kept on trading blows with the Caps, with Mika Zibanejad eventually landing the knockout punch 33 seconds into overtime.
It was a huge and outstanding win that pushed the Rangers a step closer to the postseason but, whether they make it or not, we should all be incredibly excited about the future of this storied franchise.