Zuccarello, Rangers Are On An Absolute Tear Right Now
After a Zuccarello finish with under a minute left sent the MSG crowd into a frenzy, the Rangers tallied their 9th straight W. They haven’t had a regulation loss in over a month on their way to being the top team in the NHL. Yeah, it’s November and “we’ll see what happens in the playoffs” – but that doesn’t mean fans can’t enjoy the ride to April.
I don’t know what more can be said about the goaltending. Although Raanta was just “OK” last night, he still stretched his career undefeated-in-regulation streak on home ice to 20 (17-0-3) & is part of a tandem that’s light years ahead of any other in the league. Their 1.70 GAA/.945 peripherals dwarf the runner-ups in both categories (2.10/.930) despite facing the 3rd-most shots per game. They’ve allowed exactly 3 goals just 3 times. 2 or less in their 15 other combined appearances. Surely they’ll level off some but Hank/Talbot finished as a top-3 duo last season. The Rangers will be up there again, especially with Lundqvist playing like the Hart may stay among the goalie brotherhood.
Offensively, balance is the key. The Blueshirts are on pace to have 8 players with at least 50 points, led by Zucc who’s been absolutely lights-out lately. Only two players have at least 9G/9A/+9 stat lines – he and Patrick Kane. Zucc is no Kane, but at a freshly inked $4.5 mil/year you’re gonna be hard-pressed to find a better bargain. The extraordinary play-making ability he’s displayed was sorely missed against the Bolts last May. Henrik isn’t the only guy playing like he’s on a mission after another “almost” postseason.
Oscar has cooled off a bit but he’s still making an impact. He rang a backhander off the post & won 4 of 6 draws last night despite AV barely giving his line 10 minutes of ice time. Nash & Kreider have been more visible of late (kudos to Krieds for dropping the mitts against the Sens after Stepan took a shot to the jaw) but have still only combined for 5 goals. Regardless, the Rangers have put up 3 or more in 7 of their last 9 because this team can score from anywhere. Captain McD’s caught fire lately along with Zucc & Brassard. Hayes looks close to the kid who dominated the second half of last season & even Girardi’s got 7 points in his last 9 games. When they slow down it’ll be Nash & Kreider’s turn. It’s hard to envision this squad going cold for any extended streaks.
On the back end it’s more of the same. Versatility. Dylan McIlrath has eaten some solid minutes while giving Old Man Boyle a breather. And how about Boyle burying the shootout walkoff against the Sens? You know the Blueshirts are rolling when AV’s like “fuck it, let Boyle go, he grew up here” and it works. Vigneault has also been swapping Girardi & Klein on occasion. There’s no doubt the two biggest question marks on the blue line are G & Boyle, and the head coach is doing a great job rotating them up/down or in/out to get the absolute best out of both.
Any questions about whether or not this Rangers team was capable of being in the final four for the third year in a row should be out the window now. They’re more than capable. Hoisting the Cup is the only way this season can end a success, and if this crew can stay healthy it’s shaping up to be their best shot yet.