The Rangers just concluded their first game of four in the current homestand with a win against the Ottawa Senators. Earlier in the year, the team was deemed fraudulent and not a real threat in the Eastern Conference.
Now, the team is as hot as any, as they have been 6-1-3 since the new year. Although they are still a few points out of a wild card spot, there is plenty of time. If they stay on this heater, they will be back in no time.
This winning streak has stemmed from the dominant goalie play of the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner, Igor Shesterkin. Igor had another great game yesterday during the 5-0 win, getting his fourth shutout on the 2024-2025 campaign. The $92M man will use last night’s win as momentum in what has been a somewhat disappointing year.
The Rangers window is closing quickly, so they will look to add at the trade deadline. The nucleus of the team is relatively old, so win now is the mindset from general manager Chris Drury.
The Rangers have been in multiple rumors and reports regarding Vancouver Cannucks center, JT Miller. Miller would slot into the Rangers lineup nicely with his 32 points on the season, ranking what would be third on the current active roster. The organization is also very familiar with the veteran center as it was in the Rangers organization that he rose to the ranks of making his debut for the Rangers in the 2012 season.
A big disappointment of the season for Ranger fans has been the center and fan favorite, Mika Zibanjad, who seems to not have the power or precision he did during the memorable 2021-2022 playoff run.
As a fan, however, there’s no time to be negative when the Rangers are on a 9-game winning streak. It appears as though the Rangers are playing as a team again, which is beyond encouraging to see. Last night, they faced a season-low of 20 shots, meaning the transition game and the defense have been getting it together as of late.
Another great sign was Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe, who made waves last year by being one of the biggest, strongest and most physical players in the sport as a rookie. Last night, the 22-year-old scored, but that is not the only thing that got the Garden jumping yesterday. A Senators player had some choice words for Igor Shesterkin by the net, and Rempe came in to stop a brawl with the Ottawa captain.
“[I was] a little nervous ’cause I don’t want anything to happen to him, but I love it,” Rempe said. “Just cause he’s a competitor. Just want to make sure I get in there and nothing happens. It was awesome; Igor’s the man.” The 6’7, 241-pound ball of energy looks to be a building block into the future for New York and he certainly has the fans on his side.
Finally, the Rangers stars are beginning to shine as Adam Fox, Alexis Lafaniere and Artemi Panarin are all starting to click at the same time. Fox had 2 assists, Lafreniere had a goal and an assist, and Panarin had a goal. Coming into the season that was projected as a big three for New York.
Sports are a star-driven business and when they produce, teams win games. We hope to see the Rangers continue their recent great play as the playoffs are no longer a distant fever dream as they were in December. To continue the wave of good hockey the Rangers must get good goalie play from Shesterkin, buy at the deadline, more production from Mika Zibanijad, and finally, they need their stars to live up to the contracts they were signed to.