Rangers offense is on fire, but they have yet to be tested

After scoring 11 goals through their first two games of the season, it is safe to say that the New York Rangers offense is on fire. But, should that be expected when going up against two of the bottom-of-the-barrel defenses from a season ago?

Has good defense tested the Rangers offense?

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Utah Hockey Club have some solid mainstays on defense. For Pittsburgh, they feature a slew of older stars on their blueline, like Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson. Both are still playing at a very high level and with the experience to boot, they both will have solid years in 2024-25. And for Utah, they went out and re-tooled their blueline with Mikhail Sergachev, who is still a top-10 d-man in his own right.

For the Rangers, they have a goal recorded from a member of every single forward line this season. That is impressive through the first 120+ minutes of ice-time, and with 11 goals already on the year, only Calgary and Vegas are ahead of them in average goals forced per game. This has been a pleasant surprise, as all signs were pointing to this team not hitting mid-season stride this quickly.

Even though Utah has put up a bunch of goals this season, and should be considered a contender with their high-efficiency offense, they have also given up a lot of goals as well. Through their first three games of the year, they have conceded 11 goals, including the five-piece from the Rangers.

Can this offense get even better for the Rangers?

Let's put it this way, the Rangers are among the tippy top of the NHL in goals-scored, goals scored per game, shots on goal, and the list goes on and on. And the most surprising stat of all is that they have done this with only one powerplay goal, through five chances. After being regarded as the best powerplay unit in the league during last season's Presidents' Trophy run, the results have not carried over to 2024-25, just yet.

Leading the Rangers in scoring so far this season is the leading scorer from last season, Artemi Panarin with two goals and two assists. He was a big part of the Rangers Three Stars of the Week, through the first week of the regular season. Following close behind him is Will Cuylle, who has been a complete package for this team through the first two games. Expectations for him rise with each game, as the third-line has become the most exciting trio.

So, yes the Rangers offense will eventually get better with time, but they will also start to falter. The Blueshirts will inevitably be shutout this season, or they will only be able to muster one-to-two goals a night. But the consensus is that they will be a top-10 team in producing goals, once again, and that will help them get into and move on in the playoffs.

The true test will be once they face off against teams like the Boston Bruins, or the Winnipeg Jets, who were among the best in the league last season in preventing goals. Do the Rangers have what it takes to keep this hot streak against much better defensive units?