The entire New York Rangers universe breathed a sigh of relief when they stopped the bleeding with a dramatic overtime win over the Sabres on Thursday. That’s all just a distant memory when the Blueshirts take to the Garden ice tonight against the Penguins. It’s the first of a three game homestand and the Rangers need to get a streak going.
There are many positives to build on. Alexis Lafreniere’s first NHL goal was the highlight of the season. K’Andre Miller is fast proving that he is an NHL defenseman. The Rangers are allowing 2.71 goals per game, their lowest average in four years. They are getting contributions from the bottom six and they might have finally hit on a lineup that works. Artemi Panarin continues to be an elite scorer and Ryan Strome has become involved. Mika Zibanejad is getting a lot of chances. Pavel Buchnevich has become the player we hoped he would be.
There are also numerous warning signs. They have scored only 18 goals in seven games. They have blown leads in four straight games including two in the third period. Tony DeAngelo has yet to get a point. Jack Johnson has not played well. The loss of Fiilp Chytil, third line center, was seen as a crushing blow to the team. They have the third worst record in the entire NHL.
The good news moving forward is that in the new divisional format, a winning streak can solve all problems. With two straight games against the Penguins, if the Rangers sweep, they will tie the Penguins record and be back in playoff contention. After Pittsburgh, they host Washington for one game and if they are lucky, the Caps will be without Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Samsonov due to COVID-19 protocols.
If home ice means anything, the Rangers will play seven of the next eight games at Madison Square Garden. With no fans, the only real benefit as the home team is getting the last change and a slight edge in the faceoff circle. After several losses, Chris Kreider has mentioned how hard it is to win on the road, so with a lengthy home stand, it’s time for Kreider and the Rangers to take advantage.