Can the New York Rangers overcome a slow start this shortened season?
The New York Rangers face a challenging 2021 season. It will be only 56 game long and the common thinking is that if team gets off to a bad start, it will dig a hole too deep to climb out of. Is it true? The only recent comparison we can draw is from the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season that last only 48 games.
In that season, the Rangers finished with 56 points with a record of 26-28-4. Their 56 points were good for second place in the Atlantic Division and a playoff berth. After beating Washington in seven games in the Quarter-Finals, they lost to Boston Bruins in the Semi-Finals in five games.
How did their season start? After 10 games they had a .500 record with five wins and five losses for 10 points and were in third place in the Atlantic Division. After 20 games, they had improved to 10-8-2 for 22 points but were in fourth place.
They went 16-8-2 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. The conclusion from this small sample size? Despite a mediocre start they finished strong and were able to make up lost ground. In fact, they lost only three games in regulation out of their last 14.
One undenial fact is that after a drive to make the playoffs and a brutal seven game playoff series against the Capitals, the Rangers were unable to muster much of a challenge to the Boston Bruins in the next round.
While going into the postseason with momentum can be a positive, it can also take its toll on a team and it certainly did in 2013. It had to have an effect on Henrik Lundqvist, who started 24 of the Rangers’ last 25 games.
The rest of the league
The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that year after breezing through the regular season. They got off to a spectacular start, not losing a game in regulation until March 8. They won 20 of their first 23 games in regulation, losing three in extra time.
Their great start guaranteed a playoff spot and down the stretch they were ordinary, going 12-5-2 in their last 19 games. Well rested, they were prepared for the playoffs and won 16 postseason games against only seven losses.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals made an argument that a bad start can be overcome. After 11 games they had a record of 2-8-1 and were the worst team in the NHL. They went 25-10-2 the rest of the way and finished first in the Southeast Division. In their last 14 games they lost only once in regulation to finish six points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets.
The Capitals ran into the Rangers in the first round of the playoffs and lost in seven games.
Another team that had to overcome a bad start was the St. Louis Blues. After 12 games they were one game over .500 with a 6-5-1 record and were fourth of the five teams in the Central Division. By March 28 they had moved into third place with a 17-14-2 record. They went on a 12-3-0 run to end the season and finish in second place, but again they were a team that had to make a playoff push that lost in the first round.