The New York Rangers are the Scariest Team in the NHL
The New York Rangers are the scariest team in the NHL right now. Through ten games, the Rangers have a 7–3 record. This is a team that has won six of their last seven games. Their last two victories have been blowouts. In front of their rabid home fans, the Rangers crushed the Tampa Bay Lightning 6–1, and then they blanked the St. Louis Blues 5–0 in Henrik Lundqvist’s 60th career shutout.
An Offensive Explosion
These two last blowouts are prime examples of a revamped New York offense that has been the key to their success thus far this season. They have a plus-18 goal differential, which is why they have burst out to such a hot start. They are averaging four goals per game. The biggest reason that the offense has been able to perform at such a high level is because everyone is hustling and playing together as a team.
Already this year, 11 different Rangers players have scored at least a point in a game. When the forwards lose the puck, you see them busting their lungs to win the puck back as fast as possible. With this kind of relentless effort moving forward, there is no telling how far New York can go this year.
Building on the Promise of Last Season
You can excuse Rangers fans if they remain cautious even with their team’s hot start this year. They got off to an even hotter start last year, winning 14 of their first 16 games. However, they stumbled a bit as the season wore along. They finished with a record of 46–27–9, which was good enough for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
However, the team disappointed in the playoffs, going out meekly in the first round to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers only managed to win one game in the series, and they looked completely overmatched. On the bright side, the Rangers have had some long season over the past half-decade, so the long offseason seems to have rejuvenated them. This year they may have what it takes to battle with the big boys in the playoffs.
Keep up the Offensive Attack
The fact that the Rangers just blistered two defenses that were in Conference Finals games last year is a great sign. If New York can keep scoring at such a high rate, it will take a lot of pressure off Lundqvist and the defense.
Veteran forward Rick Nash has been huge for the Rangers this year. While many thought he was past his prime, Nash has scored eight points already. Another key cog on the offense has been J.T. Miller, who leads the team in points with 10 and assists with seven. Rookie Jimmy Vesey leads the team with six goals to go along with three assists.
The dedicated Rangers fans have been waiting a long time for this core group to finally take home the Stanley Cup. As long as the Rangers can keep up their offensive attack, they should be hard to stop all season. There is little doubt that they will have a good seed going into the playoffs. The question is whether or not they can make a run at the Stanley Cup this year, and their scary offense should make it interesting.
