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New York Rangers: Evaluating the Eastern Conference Playoff Teams

By Jake Mozarsky

Apr 9, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers salute the crowd after the game against Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers salute the crowd after the game against Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 15, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save on Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) during overtime at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save on Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) during overtime at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports /

Boston Bruins

Boston has been one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the All-Star break, and they have gotten back to a point where they are racing with Atlantic Division teams for seeding. While they have dealt with some drama, including the brief return of Tukka Rask, Boston has righted the ship and look formidable.

Rangers’ head to head vs Boston: 2-0-0

November 26 at Boston: 5-2 Rangers. While they were outshot 17-3 in the first, New York still managed to come out of the period with a 1-1 tie. The Rangers were the better team in the next two periods and came out of TD Garden with a convincing win.

February 15 at the Garden: 2-1 Rangers in a shootout. The memorable thing from this game was Shesterkin having to come out of the game for 40 seconds due to the league’s concussion protocols, then returning in the shootout and putting New York on his back.

The Rangers will play the Bruins in Boston one more time this season.

Deadline A\acquisitions: D Hampus Lindholm and D Kodie Curran from Anaheim, D Josh Brown from Florida.

Boston’s biggest strength: They are strong defensively and are currently fourth in the league in goals allowed per game and third in shots allowed per game. It is hard for teams to penetrate the zone on the Bruins. And let’s not forget the Bergeron-Pastrnak-Marchand line, still one of the best in the NHL.

Boston’s biggest weakness: Boston fails to capitalize on prime opportunities. Their 8.7% shooting percentage is third worst in the league, above only Philadelphia and Los Angeles. The Bruins will need to capitalize in order to go far in the playoffs. Additionally, Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark are both inexperienced come playoff time.

Wrapping up

Whoever the Rangers match up with in the playoffs, they will face a different skill set offensively, defensively and in net. Every team has its own strength and weakness, and New York has been good this season when recognizing and taking advantage of them.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are only a few weeks away. Brace yourselves as we learn more about these teams, including the Blueshirts.

light. Related Story. Prepping for Carolina

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