New York Rangers Daily: Significant test vs. Hurricanes, Logan Thompson lands big deal with Capitals
The New York Rangers have done a good job this month turning their season around and surging back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. That they’ve done so against the soft underbelly of the League is worth noting, though the 19 points earned our of a possible 26 count no matter the opposition.
To be fair, the Rangers did knock off two solid playoff teams in the New Jersey Devils and Vegas Golden Knights in consecutive games Jan. 9-11. But four of their five losses this month (8-2-3) were against quality opponents — the Colorado Avalanche (twice), Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals. That’s three teams with at least 60 points on the season, including the Capitals who are tied for first overall in the NHL.
The Rangers also lost 5-4 in overtime to a middle-of-the-pack Montreal Canadiens team. And that raises another key point, this one more positive. New York’s done an excellent job mowing down teams they are battling with to secure a wild-card spot in the East. They got a point against the Canadiens, and two against the Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers.
Of course, that they’re even in the mix with these mediocre teams speaks to that hideous 4-15-0 stretch to close out 2024. But, by and large, the Rangers handled business well against these teams, and used those victories to raise their stock in the East. Avenging early-season losses to a pair of weaker teams, the Chicago Blackhawks and Utah Hockey Club, also helped this month.
That all leads to this point: the Rangers host a really good Carolina Hurricanes squad Tuesday at Madison Square Garden to close out January’s schedule. A really good test against the second-place team in the Metropolitan Division. One the Rangers bounced in six games in the Eastern Conference Second Round last spring, but lost to twice already this season.
It’d be a massive step forward to defeat one of the better teams in the NHL, something the Rangers have failed to do consistently in their recent renaissance.
Why did the Rangers rush to sign Will Borgen to a five-year, $20.5 million contract which begins next season? We wrote about one key (pun intended) theory shared by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
In his first story for Forever Blueshirts, Ben Leeds writes about how there are no moral victories to be taken from the Rangers’ 5-4 loss to the Avalanche on Sunday, certainly not when “points are at a premium.”
