The Rangers have given themselves a real chance to leave this road trip feeling good about where things stand. They’ve won four of their last five, they’re over .500, and after the first three stops on this swing, Friday night in Vancouver looks like a clean opportunity to finish the trip with another win.
That’s a pretty solid place to be for a team that hasn’t had the smoothest season. New York has been better than it was a year ago, and it has managed to keep finding ways to win even with Igor Shesterkin out for most of the season. As the quarter mark of the campaign approaches, the Rangers would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, which is a strong early return.
The road trip has already produced some encouraging results. New York opened with a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken, then ran into a tougher test against the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton won that one, but the Rangers still played well enough that the outcome could have gone the other way. Then came what felt like the key game of the trip, and New York answered with a win over the Calgary Flames.
Now the final hurdle is the Vancouver Canucks, and the matchup sets up well for the Rangers. Vancouver is not having a great season as expected, and this is the kind of game New York should feel it can take. Getting above .500 on a road trip matters, and the Rangers have a chance to do exactly that.
There’s also a bigger picture here. New York is 3-6-1 away from MSG so far this season, which is not where it wants to be, but a win Friday would move that in the right direction and give the group something to carry into the next stretch.
After Vancouver, the Rangers head home for Monday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. That one won’t come easy, either. Montreal has been playing very well this year.
In Other News...
Brennan Othmann Arrives With Something To Prove After Rangers Frustration
Brennan Othmanns path with the Rangers never really settled into the kind of runway a former first-round pick usually expects. Before being traded to the Calgary Flames last season, he made it clear he was unhappy with how his development was handled and felt he never got a fair chance to show what he could do in New York.
Mike Sullivan has spoken well of Othmann, which only adds another layer to the story, because the players frustration was rooted in the role he was given before the move. For the Rangers, it is another reminder of how thin the line can be between a prospect being viewed as part of the future and a player leaving with something to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Blue Line Suddenly Has A Roster Squeeze Sean Durzi Could Trigger
The Rangers have gotten by with Scott Morrow and Matthew Robertson holding down the third defense pairing, and it showed in the win over the Canucks. With Sean Durzi sidelined since Oct. 26, the blue line has had a little more room for those two to settle in, and coach Mike Sullivan has liked what he has seen from their work in the lineup.
Durzi is now practicing and could be close to returning, which creates a familiar kind of problem for a team that has been making do quite well. Sullivan said the next step depends on medical clearance, and once that comes, the Rangers will have to sort out how to fit Durzi back in without disrupting the rhythm Morrow and Robertson have helped build in his absence. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Got A Surprise Boost Before A Huge Homecoming
The Rangers wrapped up their trip in style in Vancouver, beating the Canucks 5-1 at Rogers Arena to finish the swing at 3-1-0. It was the kind of road ending that gives a team some momentum, and Glenn Gawdin made sure it stood out by scoring twice, including the first NHL goal of his career, before earning First Star honors.
Now the focus shifts to a homecoming with real significance, as the Rangers head back to New York to mark the 100th anniversary of their first NHL game. After a road trip that produced results and a fresh contribution from Gawdin, the timing could hardly be better for a team about to step into a celebration that carries plenty of history with it. [Read more 🡒]