3 NY Rangers players who seriously need to step up their game in November

The NY Rangers just keep rolling, evidenced by their latest big win over the NY Islanders, but part of me feels like this team, at times, continues to underachieve. Yeah, I know, underachieving despite being among the class of the Eastern Conference. 

And with the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils having some games in hand, who’s not to say the Blueshirts aren’t the best? Well, if they want to take this conference over by the end of November and be the undisputed team to beat heading into the final month of the calendar year, then three players must put forth a better game than they had in October. 

No, this article isn’t intended to malign anyone, as the trio mentioned below haven’t played bad hockey. But they could be even better, and if they are, the Rangers will continue to dominate as we venture deeper into November. 

Chris Kreider

Few Rangers players have scored like Chris Kreider, who has seven goals in 11 games and it’s a trend that may not stop any time soon. But I want to see more apples from Kreider without watching his goal-scoring pace drop. Should he do that, then opponents must factor in more than just his ability to find twine. 

Right now, Kreider’s Corsi For at even strength is an abysmal 42.7, and it shows that the Rangers just aren’t creating enough with the puck in the offensive zone when he’s on the ice. Despite having scored seven times this season, only five on-ice goals have come at even strength, giving him an on-ice shooting percentage of just 8.2. 

Yeah, he’s been a nuisance to opponents on special teams, with four goals scored either on the power play or while short-handed. But if Kreider ups his game when the Blueshirts are at even strength, oh, they could be the best team in hockey throughout November, especially if the next two players on this list follow suit.

Kaapo Kakko

You might find it curious that I put Kaapo Kakko on this list following a recent article in which I mentioned him as one of the Blueshirts biggest surprises. It’s been so far, so good for Kakko this season as he has one goal and seven points in 11 contests, putting him on pace for his best season as a New York Ranger. 

But depth scoring is something I want to see from him, and he has yet to show he can be a viable goal scorer this year. Yeah, Kakko has been a playmaker, but now that we know he can contribute to helping the stars find the net, it’s his turn to step up and improve on that 5.3 shooting percentage. 

If Kakko can start that trend this month, then it would solidify a top-nine in Manhattan as December rolls around. That alone would make this team even tougher to stop than they already have been.

K’Andre Miller

You may state that K’Andre Miller is playing just fine at the moment, and you’re correct. With top-four minutes and a stay-at-home mentality so far this season, Miller has nearly double the amount of blocks and hits than he does games played this season to go with seven takeaways. 

He’s done a phenomenal job setting the stage for what should be his best season when you take points out of the equation, but there are enough Blueshirts playing at a high-octane pace that Miller can address other areas of the team’s game. 

That said, he’s on this list because Miller is that player on the cusp of going from good to great. Or, better yet, very good to great. Give him one month to play lights-out hockey, and you have yet another sensational blueliner in the rankings just as the playoff race heats up, and Miller can be that player.