Wow, from triumph to turmoil. That’s the best way you can describe the state of the NY Rangers, and one theory could point to the drama that occurred last summer finally catching up to them. Whatever the case, we know that the Rangers have been one of the toughest teams to watch lately.
For fans, that’s debilitating, given the expectations going into the season. But have the Rangers really been as bad as they’ve looked after roughly two full months? Let’s check out what the numbers are saying and go from there.
For one, their overall points total is among the most disappointing in hockey, and with 27 so far on the season, the Blueshirts are having a tough time keeping pace with a more inexperienced Philadelphia Flyers team. If there’s any good news, it’s that they’re still posting a points percentage that’s well over 0.500, even if that total has been dwindling fast lately.
As I write this, the Blueshirts have lost six of their last seven, with a big game coming up tonight vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. Maybe home-ice advantage will do them a favor, even if that wasn’t the case during their most recent blowout loss vs. the New Jersey Devils. Wishful thinking, right?
NY Rangers looked like a team poised to take the Metro, then trouble struck
It doesn’t help that the Rangers are playing in the rough, tough Metropolitan Division that has three surefire playoff contenders and perhaps a surprise team in the Flyers. Still, you’d expect a team that seemingly had no weak points to put up at least more than 76 goals so far this season, which is an ugly 22nd in the NHL.
That’s the expectation when you have one of the highest-scoring players in the league like Artemi Panarin. Plus, an up-and-comer like Will Cuylle has been rocking and rolling. Still, the numbers aren’t lying to us.
Yeah, their goaltending, as usual, is spot-on, ranking fifth in the league with 70 goals allowed. Still, stellar play in the net can only take a team so far if they don’t know how to get pucks into their opponent’s net. Plus, despite the over-0.500 points total, it’s safe to say the Blueshirts are more than underperforming, meaning at this rate, I can’t give them any better than a below-average ‘D.’
You may argue that the Rangers deserve better, thanks to the way they sprinted out of the gate this season. But, expectations were high, and while a team that doesn’t look so good on paper would snag at least a ‘C’ if not an even better grade in this situation, there’s no way I can justify doing the same for a team that won the Presidents’ Trophy last year.