3 important reasons why Rangers fans might not have to hit the panic button just yet

I admit I had slightly more rosy expectations going into Monday night's game at Madison Square Garden versus the Los Angeles Kings. Despite the worrying signs that began to show during the Rangers' back-to-back losses in Canada. Despite the combined 12 goals surrendered in those games. Even despite the decision to drag a 38-year-old James Reimer out of happy hour somewhere and into net for the game that night...I was optimistic.

This would be our get right game against a struggling team flying across the country and then we could head into a 5-day break with our heads held...

3-1 Kings after the first period, you say? Well surely things can't get any wor-

Ugh...

So, here we are. The break is over and our welcoming crew at the Garden is the Edmonton Oilers. After a week to stew on a pretty embarrassing three game slide, some of the Rangers faithful might be losing a bit of faith about the potential of the team this season. Perhaps it was naive to think they could compete without Igor Shesterkin all year. Afterall, it was Shesterkin's injury last season that ultimately sealed their downfall.

But what if it wasn't naivety to think this team still had a fighting chance to at least stay in the ring? Here are a few reasons why fans shouldn't give up on this team just yet:

These are not the '25-'26 Rangers

Remember one year ago on Halloween? The team still didn't have a single win at home, yet there were signs the team was pulling it together. Back-to-back victories against the Canucks and Oilers brought the Rangers’ record back to .500 to end October 2025. Looking back on that, some fans might be tempted to wish for that feeling again. It would certainly feel better than right now. At this point, the current squad is barely outperforming last October's, sitting just one game over .500. But comparing this year's team to last year's is like comparing apples to oranges once you zoom in on the numbers.

The starkest difference is on offense. The Blueshirts' essentially swapped out a V6 engine for a V12 when it comes to driving to the net. They scored nearly a full goal per game more than last October. Power Play production has nearly doubled as well.

Here's the weird part. They're doing this while averaging 4 shots less per game than last year. How?

According to Hockey Reference, the difference is in the danger zone.

The Rangers haven't just been throwing pucks on net this year. They're creating real scoring chances with their shots. You see the difference clearly in the "High Danger Scoring Chance" column where the current squad has dramatically increased the number of high danger chances it's creating compared to last year's roster. For the first time in a long time, it appears the Rangers are developing a cogent, competitive offensive methodology.

Losses can be deceiving...

Despite what the final box score says, the Rangers have not just been rolling over during this losing streak. Monday night felt a little flukey from puck drop, and according to Money Puck, there may be some truth to that, because the Blueshirts absolutely dominated the Kings when it was 5v5. That 7-4 loss to Ottawa a couple days prior? Again, if you're a believer in Money Puck's "Deserve to Win O'Meter," its simulator has repeatedly predicted the Rangers as winners of that matchup more than half the time.

It was the game in Toronto where the underlying metrics show New York had its worst showing, yet the fight from the Rangers' skaters told a different story on the ice, fighting back all game and eventually knotting it at 4 with a little under 6 minutes to go in the third period. An unforgivably defended goal in the final minute of regulation wiped out all that hard work, but the reality is the Rangers came out of those three games with 0 points to show for them. A little bit of puck luck in their direction, though, and there are worlds where the Rangers take 2, 3, 4, 5 or even all 6 points instead.

The stars are looking brighter and brighter every night

To say Igor's injury took the wind out of the sails of Rangers fans would be the understatement of the century, but fans are also getting treated to some unexpectedly strong gusts via some of its young stars.

The Blueshirts responded Shesterkin's injury by going 3-1-1 over their next 5 games. That included the second drubbing of the Lightning so far this season, and they did it on the back of 24 year old rookie goaltender Dylan Garand. New York's 2020 4th round pick went from clearing waivers during preseason, to suddenly becoming the team's workhorse in crease. His response was nothing short of elite-level goaltending for 4 of those 5 games. Garand seems to have come back down to Earth in recent outings, but there’s no doubt the young netminder gave the team the boost of confidence it needed at the exact right moment.

On the other end of the ice, where is all that offensive production coming from now that Panarin is scoring on us instead of for us? That would be Alexis Lafrenière.

The former #1 overall draft pick appears to have finally unlocked the potential the front office and every Rangers fan had been waiting for. Through the first 14 games of the year, Lafrenière has notched 9 goals, which puts him on pace for 54 on the season. Comfortably contributing well over a point per game so far this year, Laf is suddenly signaling he might be on his way to a 100-point season, and he's still only 25 years old.

He's not the only player on Broadway threatening to put up triple digit points. Adam Fox is playing like a man who has something to prove, after battling injuries last season and infamously being left off the Olympic gold medal-winning Team USA roster last winter. Fox has only scored 1 goal on the year but has set up almost half of all the other goals scored by the team with 16 assists. That puts him on pace for 102 points in 84 games.

In case you were wondering, the last time the New York Rangers had two players break 100 points in a single season was 34 years ago during the 1991-'92 season. A young defenseman named Brian Leetch tallied a whopping 102 points while his new teammate and captain reached 107. His name was Mark Messier.

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