The New York Rangers had an uncharacteristic losing streak of eight games in a row from January 6 to 26, but after a wild stretch, the Blueshirts have rebounded to occupy the top spot in the NHL standings. The team has won 11 of its last 12 games to return to form as a Stanley Cup contender.
Last week, the Rangers had a chance to snap the longest winning run in team history when they hosted the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets on February 25. They are currently riding a 10-game winning streak. Despite suffering a heartbreaking road defeat as a result, New York exacted retribution three nights later, defeating their Ohio rivals and raising their record to 40-17-3 for the 2023–24 season.
Rangers are playing at the ideal moment.
The Rangers appear to be one of the Eastern Conference’s teams to beat once more. They are now tied for the President’s Trophy with the Vancouver Canucks and trail the Boston Bruins by only one point as of this Saturday. While the regular-season trophy will mean little to any of the players, taking first place in the Metropolitan Division is crucial. And with seven victories in ten attempts of their own, the Carolina Hurricanes are keeping up.
There’s still plenty of hockey to be played, but New York leads the division by five points. For the Rangers, that equals exactly 22. Additionally, general manager Chris Drury is getting ready to make purchases as this core attempts to breakthrough and make it to a Stanley Cup Final with the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8 just a few days away.
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