After a sluggish start that saw the team beat the Sabres 6-3 in the opener and then lose their next three, the New York Rangers have turned it around with three straight wins to propel their record to 4-2-1.
Prior to this current streak, the team's defense was extremely porous. They allowed 16 goals in the first four games, including six to the rival Islanders. That's not what Rangers fans are used to seeing from their team.
Beginning with last Thursday's road victory over the Maple Leafs, the team has only allowed four goals during their three-game winning streak. This is mainly due to a defense that is blocking a ton of shots and the goaltending of Martin Biron and Henrik Lundqvist. The two have combined for a 1.33 goals-against-average during the win streak.
What is remarkable is that the team has done this without the likes of Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury and Vaclav Prospal, all out with injuries. Instead, the team has done it with contributions up and down the lineup.
Starting with the offense, the team has been getting great play from Brandon Dubinsky (4 goals and 7 points), Ryan Callahan and Sean Avery (5 assists each), Artem Anisimov and Derek Stepan (5 points each), Ruslan Fedotenko (3 points), and Alexander Frolov (2 goals and 4 points). Without Gaborik and Prospal, the Blueshirts are showing that they have some depth.
On defense, the team has been getting solid efforts from Michal Rozsival (4 assists and 6 points), Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Michael Del Zotto (all with 3 points). It's hard not to notice Del Zotto these days as he's usually in the top three every night in terms of time on the ice; and when he makes a mistake, he ends up making up for it.
Coming into the season, goaltending was not a concern. With Lundqvist now having a reliable backup in Biron, Lundqvist should get more rest than seasons past. Biron showed just how reliable he was against the Leafs when he made 25 saves and picked up his first win as a Ranger. On the other hand, Lundqvist showed just how great he is when he stopped 62 of 65 shots this weekend in big wins against the Bruins (3-2) and Devils (3-1).
The season is young and there is a lot of hockey left to be played. With that said, the Rangers are showing that, with solid contributions all around, they can get the job done without their bigger name players.
With games against the Thrashers, Hurricanes and Leafs this week, it'll be interesting to see if the Blueshirts can continue to play smart hockey and pick up victories.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Prior to this current streak, the team's defense was extremely porous. They allowed 16 goals in the first four games, including six to the rival Islanders. That's not what Rangers fans are used to seeing from their team.
Beginning with last Thursday's road victory over the Maple Leafs, the team has only allowed four goals during their three-game winning streak. This is mainly due to a defense that is blocking a ton of shots and the goaltending of Martin Biron and Henrik Lundqvist. The two have combined for a 1.33 goals-against-average during the win streak.
What is remarkable is that the team has done this without the likes of Marian Gaborik, Chris Drury and Vaclav Prospal, all out with injuries. Instead, the team has done it with contributions up and down the lineup.
Starting with the offense, the team has been getting great play from Brandon Dubinsky (4 goals and 7 points), Ryan Callahan and Sean Avery (5 assists each), Artem Anisimov and Derek Stepan (5 points each), Ruslan Fedotenko (3 points), and Alexander Frolov (2 goals and 4 points). Without Gaborik and Prospal, the Blueshirts are showing that they have some depth.
On defense, the team has been getting solid efforts from Michal Rozsival (4 assists and 6 points), Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Michael Del Zotto (all with 3 points). It's hard not to notice Del Zotto these days as he's usually in the top three every night in terms of time on the ice; and when he makes a mistake, he ends up making up for it.
Coming into the season, goaltending was not a concern. With Lundqvist now having a reliable backup in Biron, Lundqvist should get more rest than seasons past. Biron showed just how reliable he was against the Leafs when he made 25 saves and picked up his first win as a Ranger. On the other hand, Lundqvist showed just how great he is when he stopped 62 of 65 shots this weekend in big wins against the Bruins (3-2) and Devils (3-1).
The season is young and there is a lot of hockey left to be played. With that said, the Rangers are showing that, with solid contributions all around, they can get the job done without their bigger name players.
With games against the Thrashers, Hurricanes and Leafs this week, it'll be interesting to see if the Blueshirts can continue to play smart hockey and pick up victories.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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