Ten Game Recap

The third ten game stretch and true to form, the Rangers continued their solid play.  The prediction was 14 total points. They ended up with twelve as they concluded the stretch with a disappointing loss to Chicago at the Garden.

How They Did

This was another good stretch of games for the Rangers. They only lost three out of the ten games in regulation, a solid record that has them in contention for a wild card playoff spot in the East at the very least.

The good news is that the team contended in every game. There really wasn't a stinker in the lot, except for the first game, a 3-2 loss to Ottawa.  They didn't play particularly well in the 3-2 loss to Toronto and the 5-2 loss (two empty net goals) to the Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden.  

With half of their games on the road, this was a good time to see if the Blueshirts would pick up their away game.  On a positive note, they only lost one out of the five road games in regulation, getting points in four games.  On the negative side, they only won two of those games losing in shootouts to New Jersey and Detroit.  Ironically, the one regulation loss was to the worst team that they played, the Ottawa Senators.  They had a very impressive overtime win in Boston, over a team that is one of the hottest in the NHL right now.  Their road record needs an asterisk as one of their wins was the "road" game vs. Buffalo at Citifield. 

At home, they continued their fine play with outstanding wins against Los Angeles and that fabulous 1-0 shootout win vs. the Capitals, another hot team.  They dominated Anaheim 4-1.  Still, they were only 3-2 at home, not good enough. 

Injuries

The Rangers have been fortunate this season, but with Chris Kreider out indefinitely the power play continues to suffer.  Mika Zibanejad  has yet to shake off the cobwebs from his concussion...with his one timer missing the net consistently (except for his power play goal in the last game).  Jesper Fast came back before expected from his injury and the rest of the team is healthy.  The team's depth continues to be their strongest point with the fourth line excelling. In the Winter Classic, the Nieves/Fast/Carey line was the best line on the ice.  

Stats Pack

As good as the Rangers are, they are still mired towards the middle of the NHL statistically. They are 12th overall in points and winning percentage, 13th overall in wins.   They are 8th overall in goals for and goals against, one of the better teams in those categories.  They are averaging 2.63 goals against per game, good for 6th in the league. Their power play has slipped to 15th overall, but their penalty killing remains stellar, 5th best in the league and the best in the East.  They are in the average when it comes to shots taken and faceoffs won and they are allowing a lot of shots on goal, 6th worst in the NHL.  Their goal differential is still the best in the Metropolitan Division at +11.  The bottom line is with their offense and goaltending, they should have a better record.  

The Next Ten Games

The next ten games won't be easy with seven out of the ten on the road.  The team takes its first extended western road trip, visiting Arizona and Las Vegas.  Then they have a second trip west, to Colorado, Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose.  If the team continues its recent western trip success, this will be a good sequence.  Their only East road game is in Pittsburgh.  The only three home games are against the Islanders, Buffalo and Philadelphia.   

So, eight out of ten games versus teams fighting for their playoff lives.  Only two "easy" games (Buffalo and Arizona).  Then ten games come in 20 days.  Oddly enough, the Rangers have their mid-season break with no games for five days. As a result, there are two sets of back to back games.  Predicting how they will do is not easy.  The easy answer is that they will play .500 hockey and end up with ten points.  I will be an optimist and predict 13 points out of 20.  More than that and they will greatly solidify their hold on a playoff spot.  Worse than .500 hockey and the team will be in a precarious position heading into the last two months of the season.  

The most fascinating game will be Sunday's match in Las Vegas.  The Rangers notched an early season 6-4 win against the Golden Knights.  That as the must-win game that could have sealed Alain Vigneault's fate as they were 3-7-2 and sinking fast.  Since that game they have gone 18-7-3.  The Golden Knights are the story of the year and it will be a great test for the Blueshirts.   As of Wednesday, they are the hottest team in the league with only one shootout loss in their last 13 games.  That's a 12-0-1 record since December 2.  Yikes.  

This and That

• The team actually scored a goal with a two man advantage against the Blackhawks.  
• Now, they need a shorthanded goal as they are only team in the league without one.  
• Is it just me or are the Rangers getting worse on breakaways?  Every game there seems to be four or five that result in missed nets, broken plays or mishandled pucks. 
• Henrik Lundqvist is playing magnificently, but is in danger of over-use.  It will be interesting to see how Vigneault uses Pavelec on this stretch of road games.  I would see him starting two or three of the next ten. 
• Buyers or sellers?  The blogsphere is heating up with speculation about the trade deadline.  While the Rangers possess two of the more attractive assets facing UFA status (Grabner and Nash), I cannot see them selling unless they totally tank the next 10-15 games.  As for being buyers, they could still use help at center and on defense. 
• Our two wunderkinds are doing very well at the WJC 2018 tournament.  Lias Andersson is serving as Captain of the Swedish team and has five goals in five games.  His shooting percentage is 45%.   Filip Chytil has 18 shots on goal and has two goals and two assists.  If Sweden can beat the USA and the Czech team can beat Canada on Thursday, then the two will meet in the gold medal game.  Very positive news for the future.  Chytil could definitely find himself back in New York before the end of the season. 
• Vinni Lettieri finds himself riding the bench although he boasts a goals per game average of 1.000.  That's better than Wayne Gretzky.  That reminds us of the immortal goalie MacKenzie Skapski who boasts a career record of 2-0 with one shutout, a goals against average of 0.50 and a save percentage of .978.  He is currently playing goal for the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL where he has a record of 3-7, a GAA of 3.66 and a save percentage of .891.