3 reasons why the NY Rangers are still the Eastern Conference’s hottest team as NHL playoff race intensifies
Despite last night’s loss, the NY Rangers still won a pair of games over the weekend, and they may be the East’s hottest team in the NHL playoff race.
The NY Rangers have just 13 games to go in the 2023-24 season, and they are sitting at a healthy 94 points but just two ahead of their biggest challenger in the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes. They ended last week with two straight wins over a pair of division rivals and outscoring them 12 to 6 in the process.
Given their recent success since they returned from the All-Star break last month, plus the fact New York is currently tied for second in the East in points before tiebreakers, are they the hottest team in the conference despite last night’s loss? There are a plethora of reasons why the Rangers, and not the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, or the Hurricanes, could end up being the team to beat once the regular season ends next month.
Rangers could be the hottest team in the NHL playoff race
Peaking at the right time means New York would head into the NHL playoffs with momentum following what will be a tough upcoming slate of games, and that could take them deeper into the postseason than they went last year when they were one-and-done against the New Jersey Devils.
Since they resumed play on February 5th, the Rangers are tied for the lead in the Eastern Conference with 31 points and 14 wins. They are third in the East with a plus-23 goal differential, and they are third in goals for per game with 3.5. If the Rangers keep doing what they have been doing from now until mid-April, they could take the Presidents’ Trophy before looking to parlay it into their first Stanley Cup since 1994.
So let’s dive deep into what has made the Rangers such a dominant team since the break, in more ways than just the numbers shared above. By the time you finish this article, one thing will be clear: You will know that your team is the most complete in the NHL.
Opponents can’t win if they can’t score against Igor Shesterkin
It is completely okay to admit that Igor Shesterkin had a down year for a while, despite the former Vezina winner’s 0.912 save percentage, 2.59 GAA, three shutouts, and 0.622 quality starts percentage through March 17th. Overall, these are more than solid numbers, and they indicate Shesterkin has been one of the better goaltenders all season.
But that hasn’t always been the case, as from mid-October through February 9th, Shesterkin only had an 0.899 save percentage, a 2.86 GAA, and zero shutouts. There is no other way to say it except that he had a down season until right after the All-Star Break, but that trend has, for the most part, changed.
From February 12th to March 17th, Shesterkin has been one of the NHL’s premier goaltenders once more, posting all three shutouts in that span to go with a 1.84 GAA and a 0.944 save percentage.
In eight of those games, he allowed two or fewer goals. Shesterkin also had some bad games in that span, most notably during the Rangers thrilling win against the New York Islanders in the Stadium Series and in a recent loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Overall, Shesterkin looks like he’s returned to being an elite talent in the crease. And if the trend doesn’t slow down over the final month of 2023-24, he will keep the Rangers operating as the Eastern Conference’s hottest team.
The Rangers have found ways to win games since the All-Star Break
Since the NHL returned from the All-Star Break on February 5th, nobody has been better than the Rangers, who pace the league with 31 points between then and March 18th. They are also second in the league in points per game with 1.63, behind only the Nashville Predators, who have 1.65.
And these haven’t all been blowout wins by multiple goals, as the Rangers have won five of those 15 games by one. Seven of their wins have come against either teams currently slated in a playoff spot, or close to. Overall, their record against playoff contenders sits at 7-2-1, and they are 8-1-0 playing against teams they are supposed to beat.
This shows us a few things: For one, New York doesn’t fall into those infamous ‘trap games,’ which can be prevalent during the waning weeks of the season. The Rangers are also consistent against teams they could end up playing in the postseason, and that could take them a long way.
The best teams in any sports league will find ways to win during the toughest stretch of the season, and with no easy games left - even against lottery teams - the Rangers have so far proven they can beat anyone. They just need to keep up their consistent ways through the rest of March, April, May, and a portion of June.
Monster special teams performances are vital during the playoff race
To put yourself in the best chance to win this time of the year and in those close playoff games, the man advantage and penalty kill better be top-notch. Fortunately for the Rangers, they have excelled on special teams this season. Their power play is sixth in the league, scoring goals in just over one in four chances they had on the man advantage, or 25.35 percent of the time, to be exact.
As for New York’s penalty kill, it’s even better, operating at an incredible 83.42 percent, which ranks fourth. But how well has this team fared on special teams in the post-All-Star Break time frame we have been talking about?
The man advantage hasn’t been as effective, but it’s still converting 21.0 percent of the time, which still ranks in the middle of the league. The PK has been even better, ranking second in the league next to only the Carolina Hurricanes at 85.2 percent.
If the power play unit becomes as efficient as it was before the All-Star Break, the Rangers just became that much tougher to stop. It’s clear that they are playing a great game in the offensive zone at even strength, judging from their 55 goals since February 5th, good for 2.89 per game. Get the man advantage back to where it was, and few, if any teams in the NHL will stop the Rangers.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)