As of this writing, the New York Rangers have tied the franchise record for the longest winning streak at ten games. They are looking for their 11th win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Going into the All-Star Break, the Rangers were a sinking ship. They had a horrible January, with a record of 5-7-2, and it looked like they were going to fall out of first in the Metropolitan Division.
Nothing was going right for the team, but ever since they came back from the break, all they have done is win and win against some of the best teams in the NHL. Everything is clicking for the Rangers again and it is happening at the best time of year. They are the hottest team heading into the trade deadline and if they can keep this momentum heading into the playoffs, they will be a tough team to beat. There are many reasons why the Rangers have gone on this winning streak, but here are just three reasons why they have won and are continuing to win.
Igor Shesterkin & Jonathan Quick
The goaltending has been amazing over this ten-game winning streak. Igor Shesterkin has won his last six starts and Jonathan Quick has won his last four starts. Shesterkin was coming off the worst month of his season so far, as he was statistically one of the worst goalies in the entire league. Now, he has returned to form, with a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.84 and a .951 save percentage (SV%). This is similar to what happened last season where he was very mediocre for most of the season, but as March and April came around, he returned to his usual game and was the backbone for the Rangers. This is the most confident he has looked all season and has allowed only 11 goals over his last six games and just three in his last three starts.
The Rangers have also been getting great performances all season long from their backup. Quick has had a career resurgence with the Rangers and he has played well over this winning streak. He has won his last four starts and has a GAA of 1.99 and a .932 SV% over that span. He was in goal for the Rangers’ first two games back from the break, where they faced the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning. He allowed one goal in each of those games and the Rangers went on to win those games, 2-1 in overtime over the Avalanche and 3-1 over the Lightning. Quick has arguably been the better of the team’s two goalies for the majority of the season, but both of them have played extremely well over this span and that gives the Rangers so much more confidence to play their game when they know their goalies can bail them out if needed.
Alexis Lafreniere
This has truly been a breakout season for Alexis Lafreniere. He has played very well on the right wing, which is not his natural position and his line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck has been the Rangers’ best line all season long. Over this ten-game winning streak, he has stepped up his game in a big way. He has six goals and nine points and has been noticeable in every game, even if he’s not scoring goals. His overall game has grown so much this season and he has finally been given the chance to show why he was the consensus choice to be first overall in the 2020 Draft. He has 17 goals and 36 points in 58 games played this season. He is two goals away from reaching his career best and three points away from matching his career high from last season.
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It is even more impressive when you realize that Lafreniere doesn’t get time on the first power-play unit. He is on the second unit and they usually get 30 to 45 seconds, if that. He only has two power-play goals this season, so he is doing most of his scoring at five-on-five, which is an area where the Rangers have struggled. He has been everything the Rangers have wanted him to be and more this season. He is becoming the player they thought he could be and he has been a big factor as to why they have won these last ten games.
Top Players Coming Through
Besides Lafreniere, the rest of the Rangers’ top players have also been playing well over this winning streak. Panarin is still playing at a Hart Trophy level and is one goal away from a new career high. He has 15 points in these ten games. After a slow January, Mika Zibanejad has gotten back to playing at the level fans have seen him play at in years past. He has ten points in the last ten games, four of those being goals. Chris Kreider is one goal away from reaching at least 30 goals in a season for the third straight year. Trocheck is continuing his amazing season, with ten points in the past ten games and has reached the 20-goal mark with the Rangers for the second straight season. All of these players have come through during these games and that is what is needed if they want to continue playing at this pace. They need the top players to come through and that has happened over the last ten games.
The Rangers could make franchise history if they beat the Blue Jackets later today. It would be the first time in franchise history that they have won 11 straight games during a season. If they want to accomplish this feat and keep extending the winning streak, these factors mentioned above need to keep playing at the level they are now. They have proven that they are a true threat in the NHL, and now they need to keep playing at this pace as the playoffs get closer.
