Rangers looking like team to beat post-holiday break
No one is going into the post-holiday portion of the schedule on a bigger high than the Rangers.
Peter Laviolettes squad has done nothing but win for the first 40 percent of the season, putting together a 23-8-1 record that has established it as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and perhaps beyond.
There are still 50 gmes to go before the postseason, which is ultimately where this Rangers season will be judged and the Blueshirts have experienced recent disappointments there.
But the Rangers have been nothing but motivated all year, and appear to be well on their way to a first Metropolitan Division title since 2015.
More than that, the road to the Stanley Cup appears as though it will run through Broadway.
The Post recaps the season at the Christmas break.
Best win:7-4 over the Bruins on Nov. 25
The first of two wins over the reigning Presidents Trophy winners gets the nod less for how the Rangers played and more for what it meant.
The Blueshirts were already off to a 14-3-1 start, but beating the Bruins piqued the radar of everyone around the NHL, and the Rangers have only continued to press their collective foot to the floor since.
3Tyler Pitlick (71) scores during the third period when the New York Rangers played the Boston Bruins. Robert Sabo for NY PostIf that is a preview of the Eastern Conference Final, the Rangers would right now be the favorites over the Bruins.
Worst loss:4-1 against the Predators on Oct. 19
It was just the fourth game of the season, but an early 4-1 demolition at the hands of the Predators was the first real test for coach Peter Laviolette.
It could have been a moment in which the season went haywire, but instead the loss galvanized the Rangers, who flew out west and swept their way through a five-game road trip, finding the best version of their game in the process.
That and everything else thats happened since doesnt happen without the disappointment of getting blown out on home ice by Nashville.
Surprise impactful player: Erik Gustafsson
Surviving Adam Foxs stint on long-term injured reserve was key to the Rangers start, and that does not happen without Gustafsson.
The 31-year-old veteran, who started training camp competing with Zac Jones for an everyday lineup spot, slid right into Foxs spot on Ryan Lindgrens left without any trouble.
3Erik Gustafsson (56) moves the puck down ice as Nashville Predators left wing Kiefer Sherwood (44) gives chase. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTIn 32 games this season, Gustafsson has averaged a point every other night, proving more than apt on the power play as well as at even strength.
MVP: Artemi Panarin
Given that Panarin is in the midst of a campaign that could get him consideration for the Hart Trophy, its only right that he be given the Rangers MVP for his contributions so far.
Panarins 44 points over the first 32 contests have him on pace to easily pass his career-high and break 100 for the first time.
Hes tied for fifth in the league in points, ranking eighth in goals and 12th in assists.
3John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs rushes as Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers for the puck during the first period. Jason Szenes /New York PostAt age 32, Panarin has refined his game only getting better at a point when many of his peers begin to fall off.
Developing story: The returns of Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko from injury
The news that Kakko resumed skating right less than a month after a left leg injury was a welcome gift headed into Christmas.
Chytil, out with a presumed concussion, has been skating for nearly a month but is yet to return from the injury suffered all the way back on Nov. 2.
There is no exact timeline for two-thirds of the Kid Line to come back, but it would be a boon to the lineup, even as theyve continued to thrive without the young pair.
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