The Rangers’ early surge has people around the game talking, and the theme running through the chatter is simple: this team looks connected.
Mark Linde put it plainly: "Yeah, it's early, but I can't remember the last time I saw a Rangers group play such complete team hockey. The forwards forecheck and hit anyone and everyone they see. They play aggressive and controlling hockey at center ice.
"And they're playing great supportive and positional hockey in the defensive zone. Everyone is contributing to achieve the desired result and it really shows. They have become a pleasure to watch."
That kind of praise wasn’t limited to fans. An NHL scout, trying to keep the emotion out of it, pointed to the roster work that helped get the Rangers here.
"The Rangers brought in key elements - turned over half of their forward roster and so far it has paid off. Many have gone unnoticed, including Oliver Bjorkstrand, who is one example.
"The young players are paying off and so is the reshaped blue line with effective players such as Durzi, Šmits and Pettersson. So far, so good with Garand in goal. The bottom line is that Chris Drury has had a quiet but very effective off-season."
There’s also plenty of buzz around the names showing up on the scoresheet and in the eye test. One observer laid out the list this way: "I'm loving Ollie B, Laffy with the hatty, Gabe P looking great, Mika flying, J.T. recharged and love the familiar support group from last year - Cuylle, Laba, Kartye, Jaro - plus.
Fox looks great and makes a terrific pair with Gavy. Durzi is a revelation and how about this Šmits kid?"
Vic Morren, co-host with Neil Smit of "NHL Wraparound," framed the biggest shift in a different way, tying it to style as much as personnel. "Playing faster and straight-line hockey is probably the single biggest difference. I'm not going to say that the Blueshirts are better off without Breadman Panarin but his style of weaving and slowing things down represented a lot of the team's DNA the past (losing) season."
Whether the run lasts tonight in New Jersey or not, the early read around the Rangers is unmistakable. As the source put it, The Maven is taking the liberty to quote Glenn Hall and Tom Murray: "I'M ENTHUSED!"
In Other News...
Rangers Humiliated By Devils As A Familiar Concern Returns
The Rangers left Prudential Center with a result that quickly turned into damage control, falling 7-1 to the Devils in a game that unraveled after a late first-period opener. New York never found much footing from there, and Pavel Dorofeyevs third-period goal only softened the final line on a night when the margin kept growing and the game moved further out of reach.
Dylan Garand got the start in net, but the early pressure from New Jersey forced the Rangers into a familiar place they would rather avoid. Once the Devils settled in, they poured it on through the middle and final periods, and the kind of comeback hope that sometimes flickers in an NHL game never really materialized for New York. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Suddenly Have A Pavel Dorofeyev Problem Mike Sullivan Can't Ignore
The Rangers have kept rolling even without Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Dorofeyev, but the latter has become a bigger talking point by the day. Dorofeyev has labored through a difficult season, and the team has already tried to spark him by moving him onto the top line, hoping a change in responsibility and surroundings would help him find his footing. For now, its another case of New York trying to keep its forward mix productive while one of its more prominent pieces searches for a rhythm.
Mike Sullivan is not treating the situation as static, either. Further line changes are on the table if Dorofeyev does not show more, and there is growing pressure on how long the club can keep waiting for the offense to catch up. The real issue is less about one cold stretch than what comes next if it continues, because the Rangers have to decide how much patience to show before they start making tougher choices with his role. [Read more 🡒]
Alexis Lafreniere Is Giving The Rangers Something Theyve Needed
The Rangers have opened the season 6-2, and the early surge has been fueled by a strong start at home, where they are still unbeaten. At the center of it all has been Alexis Lafreniere, who has emerged as the clubs most productive forward so far and given New York the kind of top-end scoring pop it has been searching for.
Lafrenieres start has included 10 points in eight games and a scoring rhythm that has kept him in the conversation every night. The pace is almost certainly going to come back to earth as the schedule wears on, but the bigger takeaway for the Rangers is harder to miss: he looks more assertive, more dangerous, and more like a player capable of carrying real offensive weight. [Read more 🡒]