As of this writing, the New York Rangers have 15 more games to play as the regular season begins to wind down. They have had a great season so far, as they are the top team in the Metropolitan Division and one of the top teams in the entire league. While it is good that they have had such a good season so far, they can’t take their foot off the gas yet as the rest of their schedule won’t be easy. The majority of their games will be against teams that are fighting for the top positions in their division or conference or they will be playing teams that are fighting to get into one of the two wild card spots. If the Rangers want to end the season on a high note and bring that momentum into the playoffs, they need some factors of their game to improve and for some players to keep playing the way they have been recently. Here are three keys to a successful end to the regular season for the Blueshirts.
Mika Zibanejad Needs to Find His Offensive Game
When looking at the season overall so far, Mika Zibanejad has had a good year. He has scored 21 goals and 57 points in 66 games played. His overall game has remained excellent and is one of the best two-way players in the game. However, his offensive game has taken a dip this season. Last season, he scored 39 goals and 91 points in 82 games played. He won’t be scoring anywhere near that number of goals and will likely not be a point-per-game player this season. His five-on-five scoring has taken the biggest hit this season. He went 31 games this season without scoring a goal at even strength. If the Rangers want to go on a deep run, they need their number-one center to start scoring goals more consistently at even strength.
His power-play-goal production has also dropped off. He has 10 goals on the power play this season, while he scored 20 on the man advantage last season. As mentioned earlier, his defensive game is still top-notch and maybe he has been focusing more on the defensive side of the puck this season than prior years, but he needs to start thinking more offensively. One goal at five-on-five in a 31-game stretch isn’t going to cut it and when the playoffs come around, there will be fewer penalties called. If Zibanejad can start finding his offensive game going into the playoffs, the Rangers will be an even more dangerous team.
Power Play Needs to Be More Consistent
The Rangers have had one of the best power plays in the league for the past few seasons. They have been in the the top ten in the league on the power play over the past three seasons. Earlier this season, they were even ranked number one for a short period of time. However, the effectiveness of the power-play has worn off as the season has gone along. They are currently ranked seventh in the league, but they can be better and need to be better. Since the All-Star Break, they have a 19.0% rate on the man advantage, which is lower than the 24.9% they have on the season. There are some games when they can score multiple goals, and then others when they get nothing done.
The top unit of the Rangers consists of Artemi Panarin, Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox. With all of this talent, it’s amazing how ineffective this group can be during certain games. They may need to shake up the units if they want to find more consistency. Zibanejad isn’t scoring goals like he used to from the left circle, so maybe switch him with Alexis Lafreniere just to give that top unit a different look. If it doesn’t work out, they can always go back to the original group. Close games can come down to special teams and if the Rangers want to win those kinds of games, they need the power play to be better.
Igor Shesterkin & Jonathan Quick Maintaining Form
Since the All-Star Break, Igor Shesterkin has been one of, if not the best goalie in the league. He has a record of 9-2-1 with a goals-against average of 1.91 and a .942 save percentage. He also collected back-to-back shutouts during this span against the St. Louis Blues and more importantly, the Carolina Hurricanes. After having a few bad months, this is the Shesterkin that the fans have known and seen over the past few seasons. This now looks like the goalie who won the Vezina Trophy two years ago. He has turned his game around at the best time of the season and if he can keep his game up going into the playoffs, he might be the most dangerous goalie in the league. He has proven that he can play great in the postseason in the past and the Rangers will need him to be great again if they want him to make a run to the Stanley Cup.
Jonathan Quick has also been great in between the pipes and is providing the Rangers with the best backup goaltending they have had in a long time. After his win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, he is now one win away from tying Ryan Miller for the most wins by an American-born goalie. He has given the team 15 wins and 32 points in the standings this season. This is more than anyone was expecting after how poorly he has played over the past few seasons. If he and Shesterkin can keep up this great goaltending for the rest of the regular season, the Rangers will be in a good place heading into the playoffs.
Related: Rangers’ Schneider Stepping up in Trouba’s Absence
While more factors will help lead the Rangers to a good end to the regular season, these are three of the most important. They need their number-one center to step up his offensive game, the power play to start being more of a consistent threat and their goaltending to remain elite. If these factors can improve and remain the same, the Rangers will be seen as one of the more dangerous teams heading into the playoffs.
