After 15 games, the New York Rangers sit at 10-4-1 for 21 points, placing them fourth in the Metropolitan Division and 11th in the NHL. Yet, the mood between the team and the Garden Faithful suggests far worse, and there is reason for this.
The team, coaching staff and Ranger fans alike believed they had what it took last season to bring the Stanley Cup back to New York for the first time since 1994. They fell short, losing to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals; however, a hot start to this season for the Blueshirts got fans optimistic.
The Rangers began their season in Pittsburgh and played a nearly perfect game, winning 6-0. Every line registered a goal, and a solid defensive effort allowed Igor Sheshterkin to post a shutout. Following that game, the Rangers returned to the Big Apple for opening night, but nerves and anxiety got the best of them. A poor defensive effort diminished a tremendous offensive showing, allowing the Utah Hockey Club to spoil the homecoming in overtime. Despite that, they were able to put that behind them and win their next four contests, twice against Detroit along with Toronto and Montreal.
At 5-0-1, the former President’s Trophy winners looked like the team to beat. The Panarin-Trocheck-Lafrenière line delivered offensively, while the third line, Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko, surprisingly excelled, establishing depth for the Rangers. The defense minimized high-danger chances, and the team didn’t overly rely on goaltending. It seemed like the Rangers finally figured out how to play hockey the right way.
Following the successful road trip, the Rangers returned to The Garden to play the Florida Panthers, a game circled on their calendar. However, less than three minutes into the game, the Blueshirts had already dug themselves a two-goal deficit and could never recoup, resulting in their first regulation loss.
Displeased with the defensive effort, head coach Peter Laviolette changed the pairings for the Rangers’ matchup with the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers played stronger defensively, but offensively were showing further signs of drying up. The Ducks are at the bottom of the Western Conference, so seeing a borderline win from the Blueshirts was slightly discouraging. This negative trend continued against the Washington Capitals, where they dropped that one due to poor efforts on both sides of the puck.
With the third line seemingly being the only consistent line (Yes, even the Panarin line went stale), Laviolette crafted an all-new top nine to balance sound and struggling players. The lines read Panarin-Zibanejad-Lafreinére, Cuylle-Trocheck-Smith and Kreider-Chytil-Kakko. The immediate response from fans was not positive. Laviolette seemed to split up two solid lines to attempt to get Mika Zibanejad going. In the short term, Laviolette looked like a mastermind with a 5-2 win in their inaugural game with those combinations against the New York Islanders, but a large part was an incredible effort by Sheshterkin.
The Islanders game did not represent those lines’ capabilities, as they were ineffective in a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers did bounce back and beat Detroit 4-0, but that game was the Jonathan Quick show, and analytics revealed the Blueshirts had no business winning.
Returning to New York, they faced the league-leading Winnipeg Jets and got outmatched. The difference was the small details. The Rangers did not capitalize on Winnipeg’s mistakes, and Winnipeg seemingly made every Rangers error end up in the back of their net. That game marked the end of the Laviolette line experiment.
Their inconsistent play made Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks not a must-win but a can’t-lose. Losing to a rebuilding team that ranks 31st in the league would have been demoralizing to a team struggling with morale. Before that game, Rangers top-line center, Mika Zibanejad, was making headlines in the New York media after speaking up about his mental struggles. Zibanejad, one of the more beloved Rangers, has high expectations from fans and for himself, and this is the second season where he has seemed to slump. Still, fans need to remember there is a human element to sports.
Running back their initial top nine, they defeated San Jose, and Zibanejad led the initiative. After the Sharks got on the board first, Zibanejad was able to even the score. Was it a beautiful goal? No, but what mattered was Zibanejad put himself in a position to score, and boy did he need that. Adam Fox and Laviolette both mentioned postgame how narratives from the media do not faze the team, but they care when a teammate is hurting, so the timing and the goal-scorer made that one a bit more critical.
Another significant storyline out of that game was Filip Chytil exited early with an upper-body injury after colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller. Chytil struggled to the bench before heading down the tunnel. He attempted to return but was eventually ruled out. The immediate concern was for his well-being because of his extensive concussion history. From a hockey standpoint, the detriment of losing him is enormous and will leave Laviolette with many decisions about how to fill that hole. His line has been electric, outscoring opponents 11-0.
The Rangers will travel west for their next few competitions, making their way to Seattle before heading to Canada for matches in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton — a road trip that was good to them last season. They will look to pick up points wherever they can and, more importantly, play consistent 60-minute efforts.
