The New York Rangers were embarrassed by the struggling Chicago Blackhawks, 3-0, in their clash of the Centennial uniforms. As they travel back home for a face-off against Montreal, a look ahead at the next few weeks paints a very busy and complicated picture.
Let's take a look.
Two back-to-backs in five game stretch
The Rangers and Canadiens are set to face off at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, and then after that is when the crazy stretch begins. They then host a back-to-back against Anaheim and Vancouver, which are two completely different sides of the Pacific Division standings. Follow that up with two road games and another home tile, starting in St. Louis, and then another back-to-back starting at home with Philadelphia and then onto Nashville the day after.
That is a tough stretch of games, as Anaheim and Nashville are on hot-streaks right now. Vancouver and St. Louis could play spoilers despite their recent lackluster play, and the tilt at home against Philly is always a rough-and-tough one.
Bring this team together?
The Rangers are still trying to find a rhythm for this season, and with a 0-1-2 record over the last three games, they have to get back in the win column. These tightly scheduled games, especially with a lot of travel in between Anaheim and Vancouver and then traveling all the way to Missouri to then fly home to NYC before hopping on another flight down to Tennessee, could bring this team together.
It is almost like a road trip, but they get the "luxury" of playing on home ice, which has yet to be figured out either. The Rangers have a home record of 3-8-3, and this could be a great opportunity to try to right the ship.
Can the Rangers take advantage of this condensed schedule, or will it be too much and overwhelm them?