The New York Rangers set an early season reputation as "road warriors." That's because, at one point, they were 9-1-1 in away games. That all changed after their recent road trip, where they lost all three games to the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Utah Mammoth. On Monday, they returned home to take on the St. Louis Blues, who are having an even rougher start to the season than the Rangers.
The Rangers brought an end to their losing streak, as they defeated the Blues 3-2. After allowing a goal to Dylan Holloway in the first period, the Rangers scored three unanswered goals, one of them coming from assistant captain Vincent Trocheck.
After the game, Trocheck stressed the importance of picking up a win. Not only did they end their losing streak, but they also stay afloat in an extremely competitive Metropolitan Division.
"We need wins. The East is so tight right now. Any win you jump four spots and a loss you drop four spots. We needed this one," said Trocheck, h/t SNY.
Vincent Trocheck stresses importance of stacking wins ahead of Rangers' brutal stretch of games
Trocheck isn't lying in his assessment, as the Eastern Conference is incredibly close right now in terms of points. For the Wild Card, the Rangers are just two points back of the last spot. The problem is, there are eight teams within five points of a berth. In the Metro, the Rangers sit in last place, but are just four points back of third place. That's how competitive it is in the Eastern Conference.
But for the Rangers to even thinking about the playoffs, they need to stack wins. They are facing a very tough stretch of games for the next couple of weeks. On Wednesday, they are on the road to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Then, they travel to Boston to face the Bruins in a matinée game on Black Friday. The Rangers then return home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars. After a brief road trip to face the Ottawa Senators, they return home to face the Avalanche and Golden Knights, two teams the Rangers lost to on their previous road trip. The Rangers go on the road to face the up-and-coming Chicago Blackhawks. Then, another short home stint to face the Montreal Canadiens and then the Anaheim Ducks, the latter of whom features a slew of former players in Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Strome, and Frank Vatrano.
That is a ridiculously tough stretch of games for the Rangers. It certainly doesn't help that Jonathan Quick was just placed on injured reserve, while J.T. Miller and Will Borgen work their way back from injuries. If the Rangers lose a majority of these games, they could very well sink further out of the playoff picture. From there, questions will arise whether general manager Chris Drury should begin selling.
Trocheck knows the importance of picking up as many wins as possible. If they are to do so in the next couple of weeks, they can silence the "tanking" talks.