New York Rangers (22-12-2, 46 pts): The Rangers got off to a great start in Europe this season, and currently hold a 3 point lead over the surging Philadelphia Flyers. That being said, the Rangers have lost more games than any other team in their division aside from the lowly Islanders. Their division lead comes from the fact that they have played three more games than any other team, due to a loaded schedule at the beginning of the year, including the opening games of their season in Europe against Tampa Bay.
New York’s success has come largely due to the play of star goalie Henrik Lundqvist. King Henrik has played in more games than any other goalie in the league, recording a league-high 18 wins in 30 starts so far. Lundqvist ranks third in saves with 781, and is largely responsible for the Rangers’ league-leading penalty kill. With Lundqvist on his game in net, and a sound young defensive corps in front of him the Rangers have had little trouble keeping the puck out of the net.
Putting the puck in the net at the other end of the ice has been an entirely different matter for New York this season. While the Rangers’ 2.58 GAA puts them in the top ten defensive teams in the league, they have scored only 88 goals, resulting in a -.14 goal differential. The only offensive bright spot for the Rangers has been offseason pickup Nikolai Zherdev, who leads the team in goals, assists and points (12-20-32). While Markus Naslund has played decently well (12-13-25), he is certainly not panning out to be the catch-all replacement for the loss of superstar Jaromir Jagr. The powerplay has been dismal, with a 14.6% success rate ranking the Rangers very near the bottom of the league.
New York looked to resolve their offensive issues in the past week or so, coming very close to signing retired forward Mats Sundin. Unfortunately for them, the big Swede chose to make his return to the NHL in Vancouver. If the Rangers want to make any noise come playoff time, they may have to pick up some help before the deadline. Defensemen Wade Redden> (-4) and Michael Roszival (-11) have been nothing short of disappointments this year, while the youngsters on the blue line have carried the load. That being said, either defenseman could prove to be a valuable asset for a playoff bound team looking to add some veteran experience to their lineup in the spring, and could be moved to bring in some spark to this offense.
Current League Rankings
Goals - 17th Goals Against - T-11th Powerplay Goals - T-20th Powerplay Percentage - T-26th Shorthanded Goals - T-5th Penalty kill percentage - 1st