It isn’t difficult to pinpoint the reasons why the Rangers are suddenly the hottest team in hockey. First-year head coach David Quinn has pushed this team up the Metropolitan Division standings by getting his players to buy into his philosophies and holding them accountable when mistakes are made.
The Rangers responded to last Thursday’s 7-5 loss to the Islanders by rolling off three consecutive victories. Their latest triumph was a dominant 5-0 victory over the Isles on Wednesday.
To fully understand how the Rangers have kept pace with the first-place Columbus Blue Jackets, you’d have to look back to the 7-5 loss to the Islanders and how this team reacted to it.
Last Thursday, the Rangers lacked any kind of defensive structure and failed to defend the net-front. The Isles crashed the crease with little resistance from Blueshirt blue liners.
Quinn proceeded to spend most of next day’s practice working meticulously with his team on net-front coverage and all the little defensive details that went missing in the defeat.
Now, what you’re seeing is a Rangers team that defends cohesively, communicates in their own end and provides push-back to opponents seeking prime real estate around the crease.
When mistakes are made, players are held accountable. Importantly, those who are scratched understand why they’re out of the lineup. There aren’t any blurred lines of communication or spin-the-wheel random benchings. Whether you’re Brady Skjei, Brendan Smith or Pavel Buchnevich, the message delivered is clear.
On Thanksgiving Day, the Rangers are improbably even on points with the first-place Jackets. Few expected the Rangers to be contending for the Metropolitan Division lead – but they’re right there after going 9-1-1 in their last 11.
Hartnett: Confidence Running High For Chytil As Rangers Keep Rolling
Wednesday’s shutout win over the Islanders was delivered with an exclamation point. The Rangers were clearly fed up with their losing ways against their cross-town rivals and all of that emotion was on display in the one-sided victory.
While rookie forward Filip Chytil became the first teenager in Rangers history to record a five-game goal streak and backup goaltender Alexandar Georgiev earned his first career shutout, these individual achievements are possible because the Blueshirts play cohesive and committed hockey on both ends of the rink.
“We were able to end plays quickly and that was the key,” defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said following Wednesday’s win. “I think we did it against Dallas the other night and we carried it over into this game.
“I think we need to realize that if we play like that night in and night out, we’re going to beat a lot of teams.”
Since Oct. 30, the Rangers lead the NHL with nine wins and 19 points collected. Individual accolades are great, but the goal that this team is focused on is simply keeping up the pace in the standings.