Are the New York Rangers an offensive juggernaut?

The New York Rangers are Eastern Conference finalists for the sixth time in their last 16 Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances. Headed into tonight’s game, the Rangers have played in 15 playoff games this season, the most of any of the remaining teams. As seen in Game One of this series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, that has allowed this Rangers team to get into a rhythm and keep their foot on the gas. However, this has not always been the case for the Rangers teams of the past.

The New York Rangers pour it on

Each of the six versions of the New York Rangers that have at least reached the Eastern Conference Finals since the 1993-94 season has done so in a variety of ways. The 1993-94 Stanley Cup winning team dominated and overwhelmed their early round opponents, while the 1996-97 team pressed on with hard fought close games. The 2011-2015 teams forged their path with goaltending and defensive prowess. This season’s team has been, by comparison, an offensive juggernaut.

As the graph above displays, these 2021-22 Rangers are the most offensively productive team since Mark Messier and Brian Leetch teamed up to win the Stanley Cup. In just 15 games Mika Zibanejad is tied for third all time in points scored by a Rangers single playoff season with 21. Chris Kreider’s nine goals are tied for fourth all time, just four shy of surpassing Messier’s 12 goals in 1994. With Adam Fox’s 20th point he surpassed Hall of Famer Sergei Zubov and is now tied for second most among Rangers defensemen with Don Maloney.

They give, now they give more

The team as a whole provided Mike Richter with four or more goals of support 11 times over 23 games (47.8%) during the historic 1994 run to the cup. Conversely, Henrik Lundqvist would receive that level of goal support just seven times over 25 games (28%) when the team reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Igor Shesterkin has received four or more goals of support in nine of his 15 games (60%). Perhaps most relevant is that this level of goal support has resulted in wins. After a couple of shaky games in the first round, Shesterkin has won his last seven games when the team scores at least four goals.

Not if, but when?

None of this is a guarantee that the team will advance any further this playoff season. Nor does it indicate that their season will end against Tampa Bay. But it is a jolt of good news for the residents of Rangerstown. The 1997, 2012, 2014 & 2015 teams had the goaltending and defense to win, but fell short because they lacked offensive punch. The 1994 Stanley Cup Champion team also had the defense and goaltending to win, but added a scoring power that no New York Rangers team has had again … until now. This New York Rangers team is on the cusp of something special.