Few could have envisioned the rebuilding Rangers sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division near the quarter-way mark of the NHL season. Through 18 games, the Blueshirts are 9-7-2 with 20 points. Only two points stand between them and the division-leading Columbus Blue Jackets.
On Monday, the Rangers eked out a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks to extend their season-long point streak to seven games. Franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist batted away a late flurry of Canucks chances and stopped each of the 11 shots he faced in the third period. As a whole, he saved 25 of 26 shots.
Since his 2005 debut, Lundqvist has always been the No. 1 reason why the Rangers have exceeded expectations. This season is no different. The majority of experts picked the Rangers to finish as a lottery team, but if the season ended today, they would be playoff bound.
Lundqvist has posted a .923 save percentage through 14 appearances, his best in that category since the 2012-13 season. The 36-year-old netminder has also posted a .925 save percentage or better in seven of 14 appearances.
But any winning goaltender needs a solid supporting cast. The Rangers are struggling to put pucks in the net, and their offense took a big hit before Monday's contest. Highly skilled wing Pavel Buchnevich is set to miss four to six weeks due to a broken thumb sustained in Saturday's shootout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Buchnevich was beginning to play his best hockey right when the injury bug struck. The Russian wing had recorded five points (two goals, three assists) in five games prior to the injury. Buchnevich has collected nine points (five goals, four assists) through 14 games.
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It's going to take a team effort to make up for Buchnevich's absence. Through Monday, the Rangers rank 27th of 31 teams with 2.67 goals for per game.
Perhaps, fellow rookie Filip Chytil can rise to the occasion. The 19-year-old has only received 12 minutes, 12 seconds per game – but his fine play Monday could result in extra minutes.
Chytil scored the game's tying goal on the power play and recorded a game-leading six shots on goal. The second-period goal was the former first-round pick's first of the season. Chytil's skating ability and rapid wrist-shot stand out, but the Rangers like the young Czech's overall two-way upside.
Rookie center Brett Howden notched the game-winning goal at 11:19 of the third period. The 20-year-old has continued an impressive first-year campaign. Howden has tallied four points (two goals, two assists) in his last five games played. The 6-foot-3 pivot has collected 10 points (four goals, six assists) through his first 17 career NHL games.
The Rangers have also received strong returns from up-and-coming defenseman Neal Pionk, who has been gaining major minutes under head coach David Quinn. Pionk has led the Blueshirts in total ice time in 11 of the last 12 games.
He supplied a power-play assist on Chytil's goal, while skating in a team-leading 22:26 total ice time. Pionk leads the Rangers in power-play assists (six) and power-play points (seven) this season. He has shown tremendous confidence when advancing the puck and is demonstrating excellent vision to set up teammates.
The 23-year-old blue liner has recorded a point in four of the last five games (three goals, one assist) and has accumulated 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the last 12 games. Overall, Pionk has 10 points through 16 games.
This Rangers team is being fueled by youth and Lundqvist's extraordinary netminding. Jimmy Vesey has taken forward strides in his third season by starting off 2018-19 with 10 points (six goals, four assists) through 18 games. Defenseman Tony DeAngelo is showing improved play in his own end and has collected seven points (two goals, five assists) through 10 games played.
Importantly, veterans Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello and Jesper Fast are all turning in strong campaigns. But the injection of youth and Quinn's trust in this promising collection of youngsters is a huge reason why the Rangers are defying preseason prognostications.
Follow Sean on Twitter at @HartnettHockey.
