New York Rangers: Three Treats of 2023-24 Season So Far
By Conor Power
10/10 Road Trip
As the Rangers went west, they were 2-2 coming off the back of a pounding at home against the Nashville Predators. There were questions about a lot of the team in general, but there was fear Peter Laviolette would not be able to fix the roster, and the Rangers would find a way to regress from their 107-point season last year. Fans were generally low on the Blueshirts leaving the Garden.
As the old adage goes, “Time heals all wounds.”
New York won all five games on the road trip. Walking into the darkened Climate Pledge Arena and holding the Kraken to just one goal as Jonathan Quick continued to show his sensational side in Seattle. It was a game in which the road team never felt like they were in trouble. It was a simple two points to get back above .500 and restore some of the faith in the organization; things were getting better.
From there, the Rangers made the trip to Calgary. After Blake Coleman put the Rangers behind, an explosion of offense in the second period got the Blueshirts out in front in this game, and they never looked back, taking the two points from the Saddledome. It wasn’t a pretty game, but a win is a win, and they needed it. Adding to the problems in Calgary, the Rangers did what they wanted to do.
Then, the Rangers moved south to Edmonton. An explosive Oilers offense was silenced by the Rangers defensive structure and Jonathan Quick. What a road trip it was for both the player and the team. Edmonton was in turmoil itself, and the Rangers didn’t do the nice thing for their opponents and offer to be the cure. They pleased their fanbase by being ruthless against their opponents.
Vancouver was the next destination as the Rangers were on the Pacific coast of Canada. A special teams affair saw the red-hot New York powerplay score multiple times and even grab a short-handed goal as they ran away from Vancouver with an overtime win. It was a game that the Rangers had to show heart and determination to change the way they were set up, but the Blueshirts found a way.
Finally, the game in Winnipeg. Grabbing the lead early and giving it up before the end of the first, finding another way to fight back in the third period, and grabbing the overtime winner with less than a minute left in the 3-on-3 overtime, despite killing off a 4-on-3 powerplay and returning home as the hottest team in the NHL off of a perfect five-game road trip for the first time in franchise history. Yeah, that’s the sweetest treat of the season so far.