Blueshirt Bulletins: Lots to unpack as the Rangers brace for the playoffs
A quick look at the state of the New York Rangers as they head into the final week of the NHL regular season.
Sharper Shesterkin
For all of their acquisitions, the most crucial post-trade-deadline development for the Rangers has been Igor Shesterkin’s return to form.
The reigning Vezina-Trophy-winner has been solid all year, yet for the longest time, he did not look like the dominant force we saw last season.
That changed after the second intermission on March 9th in Montreal.
Shesterkin was sensational in the third period and overtime of that contest, ultimately leading the Blueshirts to a shootout victory over the Canadiens.
In his 11 starts since, the Russian netminder has flipped the script on his season, sporting a 9-2-0 record with a 1.73 goals-against-average and a .944 save percentage.
If No. 31 stays this hot in the coming weeks, watch out.
Confident Kids
Another promising storyline for the Rangers as of late has been the play of the “Kid Line,” who will be a nightmare for opponents come playoff time.
After hitting a bit of a midseason lull, the youngsters have enjoyed a resurgence over the last two weeks or so.
Heading into the weekend, Kaapo Kakko had scored goals in three of the last four games, while Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil had notched seven and six points, respectively, across the last seven contests.
When they are at their best, the Kids have proven to be as dangerous as any of this team’s lines.
Top-Six Tinkering
While the Blueshirts are heating up in several areas, the top-six remains unsettled, as Gerard Gallant still seems to be searching for an answer on how to best configure his top two lines.
Perhaps the most successful trio thus far has been Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Vladimir Tarasenko, but the supplementing cohort of Vincent Trocheck, Patrick Kane and Chris Kreider did not mesh to the same extent, resulting in the coaching staff looking toward other options.
The most recent adaptation, which features Zibanejad flanked by Kane and Kreider, and Trocheck between Tarasenko and Panarin, has provided encouraging results in its brief audition.
However, with Kane potentially continuing to rest his injured hip next week, the Rangers may be forced to continue playing “Top-Six Tetris” into their round-one matchup, which would not be ideal.
Catering to Kane
Regarding Patrick Kane’s absence, the Blueshirts must accept that the top power-play unit is at its best absent No. 88.
Gerard Gallant has been understandably hell-bent on ensuring the future Hall of Famer sees significant ice time with the man advantage, but the pass-first Kane has just not clicked quite as well with the unselfish top unit as the trigger-happy Vladimir Tarasenko.
The Rangers would be best served running their second unit through Kane, and thus reuniting Tarasenko with Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin to form their primary power-play group.
Gallant’s Goods
Despite leading his team to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year behind the bench, many suspected Gerard Gallant would be fired if the Rangers were to lose to the St. Louis Blues on December 5th.
A sluggish start to the 2022-2023 campaign left a lot of people believing this team was in need of a major shake-up.
Trailing by one heading into the final frame against St. Louis, the Blueshirts rallied, putting together a three-goal third period that ultimately kickstarted a seven-game win streak, and well, the rest is history.
This past week, Gallant became the first head coach in franchise history to lead the Rangers to consecutive 100-point campaigns in their first two seasons at the helm.
Talk about flipping the script.
King Kreider?
Speaking of surprising accolades, this past week Chris Kreider overtook Vic Hadfield for fifth in Rangers’ history in all-time regular season goals.
Believe it or not, Kreider has a real chance to become the franchise leader in this category, or at least make his way to second place on the list with relative ease.
The 31-year-old is currently under contract with the Blueshirts for four more seasons, and he is only 142 goals away from breaking Rod Gilbert’s record.
There is a chance, albeit a slim one, that Kreider could break the record within the next four seasons, but if he remains on Broadway any longer, No. 20 could very well find his name atop the Rangers’ record books and in the Madison Square Garden rafters.
Continued Questions
About a week away from the playoffs, the Rangers remain a bit of a difficult evaluation.
While they are not limping into the postseason by any means, they are also not entering with the momentum that their 13-4-3 record since the start of March would suggest.
The Blueshirts have been finding ways to win, but the overall product has been far too inconsistent. Whether it be slow starts or porous defensive-zone play, there have not been enough playoff-type, 60-minute efforts down the stretch to instill confidence that this team is entirely ready for the tight-checking games on the horizon.
Nevertheless, if this experienced, veteran-laden group can find a way to flip the switch come April 17th, their somewhat sluggish finish to the regular season will quickly become an afterthought.