Fuck that POS. It's near impossible the Rangers catchup to Florida for the 1 seed, which would get us Rangers/Caps 1st round. If they win the Metro it's going to be Boston, Tampa, or Toronto. Give me Pittsburgh please.
Unless I'm reading the schedule wrong the Hurricanes visit us twice in the last 10 games. We win both and we probably win the division. I don't think this is a year ahead of schedule. I think any team with a goalie like Igor and the Rangers other talent would be right where we are right now. If Lafreniere gets hot down the stretch I think the Rangers might be peaking as a top 4 team at just the right time.
I'm still having a hard time believing they are a championship caliber team. I want to believe though. And let's not forget that the Pens were without Crosby last night. That's a big loss for them.
The Penguins had Crosby in the 3 earlier games. Every time I look at a game where the Rangers were off I look at the last 10 games column and they are still 7-3, 6-3-1 over the prior 10. I think the thing that throws most of us for a loop is how they tend to get their asses kicked a couple of times a month. The losses tend to be lopsided. They also tend to be when Igor is not in the crease. The only stretch this year when the Rangers didn't look like a contender was when Igor was hurt. If he stays healthy they have about as good a chance of winning the cup as anybody outside of Colorado.
I think last years covid season helped speed up the Rangers timeline a little. Played Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, and Islanders 8x each. Flyers weren’t terrible that year either.
What concerns me is their offense. Their margin for error is slim. They are 17th in goals per game. Krieder has accounted for 22% of their goals. The power play is an important part of their game. We do have the best goalie in the league but even the best need goal support. I can see the Rangers getting eliminated 4-1 with 3 OT losses. The puck is a funny thing that can take some weird bounces.
They're not losing a series 4-1 to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has one 5v5 goal against the Rangers in 4 games. Rangers have also been one of the best 5v5 scoring teams in hockey since the deadline.
My comment was just directed at first round. I doubt they win the Metro so they're going to end up playing Pittsburgh round 1, which I was I mentioned it. Regardless of who they play, the Rangers 5v5 play is drastically improved from the deadline.
Rangers are playing with 1st place on the line at home on Tuesday. If they win they're marginal favorites to win the Metropolitan and face the Caps in round 1.
They’re not catching Florida to play Washington. Florida will be playing Washington in round 1. If the Rangers win the Metro, they’re playing Boston, TB, or Toronto. Most likely Boston or TB.
For those worried about the Rangers offense come playoff time…. don’t be. Shesterkin locks in vs quality opponents and has sometimes has lapses against shit teams
