The New York Rangers will try to bring the Stanley Cup to Broadway for the first time since 1994.
The New York Rangers started the 2016-17 NHL season off with a bang. They outscored everyone in their path, led by four optimal forward lines and an elite goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist. However, since the start of December, they rank 17th in the NHL with 67 points in 57 games. While the Rangers aren’t entering the Stanley Cup playoffs playing their best hockey, they have what it takes to make a deep playoff run,
Their greatest strength is their forward depth. It’s hard to focus on any one of their lines because three of them can score at will. Chris Kreider, Michael Grabner, Rick Nash and J.T. Miller each have over 20 goals. Kevin Hayes, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Jimmy Vesey, and Mika Zibanejad each have at least 10 goals. So does defenseman Nick Holden. They also have four forwards (Zuccarello, Stepan, Miller, and Kreider) with over 50 points. Stopping them will be hard if the Rangers can get all three of their scoring lines rolling. They might lack the elite talent of the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, but few teams boast three forward lines who can score.
New York, however, has some issues defensively. Captain Ryan McDonagh is one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL. He often has to play alongside Dan Girardi, whose best days are far behind him. Despite this, McDonagh plays extremely well in all three zones. He doesn’t put up the sexy point totals of Kevin Shattenkirk, Brent Burns or Erik Karlsson, but he’s easily one of the five best defensemen in the Eastern Conference. Brady Skjei has quietly been the second-most productive rookie defensemen. Holden has been productive as well. But other than those three guys, their defense is alarmingly bad.
It will be up to Henrik Lundqvist to overcome the suboptimal defense. He has a history of coming up huge in the playoffs and will have to be at his best for the Rangers to win the Stanley Cup.
Why the Rangers can win
Because of the NHL’s playoff format, they’ll have a relatively easy path to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Rangers get to completely avoid the death march of the Metropolitan Division until the Conference Finals. They’ll get to face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. The Rangers owns the best road record in the league, so maybe not having home ice advantage is a good thing for the blue shirts.
In the second round, they’ll get to face either the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, the Capitals, assuming they win the first round, will have to face one of the three best teams in the NHL. The path just looks a lot easier for New York.
Why the Rangers can’t win
New York doesn’t have a good record against the Canadiens this season — going 0-2-1 against them, giving up at least three goals in each loss and at least four goals in two of them. The New York Rangers have struggled against the Canadiens’ physicality. While they are more skilled than Montreal, they haven’t been able to take advantage of it. That said, the Canadiens are still a better option than facing the Capitals or Penguins or Blue Jackets.
Their defensive struggles will likely cost New York the Stanley Cup. Teams are going to pick on Girardi, Marc Staal and Kevin Klein. Lundqvist is an excellent postseason goalie, but he’s starting to show his age. The Rangers will need head coach Alain Vigneault to push the right buttons to make an extended playoff run. This is something he hasn’t done well this season, often making baffling decisions.
X-factor
Grabner has been hot and cold all season for the Rangers. He started off scorching hot, ranking among the top goal-scorers with 12 tallies at the end of November. However, Grabner has just five goals since the start of February. His speed can be a very deadly weapon, as he gets on a lot of breakaways. However, if Grabner isn’t scoring, he’s not providing much value except on the penalty kill. Teams know what he can do and play very differently when he’s on the ice when the Rangers are shorthanded.
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Prediction
An Eastern Conference Finals appearance shouldn’t be ruled out. The odds are in their favor. However, once they get there, no matter who comes out of the Metropolitan Division bracket, they’ll be facing an extremely good team. The New York Rangers could sneak into the Stanley Cup Finals, but don’t count on it.