Ranger Nation is as positive as I've ever seen it. The Rangers have been hitting on all cylinders. This is an exciting team when all the parts are working, and even if some of the parts take the night off like last night, the team still wins.
Holy shmoly! How long can this good vibe last and how will the team handle the inevitable losing streak? Injuries of course are the nightmare scenario that will not be discussed, just to keep that negative mojo out of the mix.
The rest of the league, the media, and even the gamblers are taking note of the resurgent Rangers.
Some reactions from around the horn.
Sarah Kwak / Sports Illustrated:
Sean Avery's on his best behavior --
Dubi Silverstein for Blueshirt Bulletin / Bleacher Report:
New York Rangers: Reasons To Be Cheerful --
Sean Avery's on his best behavior --
Three games in, and already it's apparent that there's something different about Sean Avery's head. This goes beyond the new helmet he was hawking after scoring two goals in the Rangers' 7-2 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.
"I want to tell all the kids out there to definitely switch from their Bauer helmets to these Cascade helmets," he said.
"Your check's in the mail," a reporter wittily remarked...
Don't be mistaken. Avery's verbal game is still very much the same. "Some of the things he says [on the ice], you wouldn't believe," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle told reporters earlier this week. But for the first time in a long time, Avery seems to be using his head just as much as his mouth...
The most surprising twist to the Rangers' 6-1-0 start isn't necessarily the 4.00 goals they're averaging per game (tied with Atlanta at the top of the league). They saw a marked scoring increase (2.33 to 2.76) after Tortorella took over last February. It isn't really who's leading the charge. Marian Gaborik has averaged .59 goals per game over the last four years, behind only Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk. No, the biggest surprise is where the rest of the goals are coming from.
In seven games, Rangers defensemen have scored seven of the team's 28...
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TSN.ca:
NY Rangers - - This Week: 1 . . . Last Week: 22New York Rangers 5-1 A tremendous start for Marian Gaborik, who has nine points and a plus-7 rating in five games but, just as importantly, rookie defencemen Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy aren't looking out of place, which upgrades the blueline corps.
Key Injuries: None.
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New York Rangers: Reasons To Be Cheerful --
Reason No. 37—Why the Power Play Is So ImportantIt can help bail you out on a night where little else is clicking and the opposition is clocking you. It especially helps when it clicks early, and often (well, two power play goals counts as often in today's NHL).
That gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead that the Kings kept threatening to erase but could never completely overcome. Vinny Prospal scored his 200th career goal on the first advantage, and he got help from replay in getting credit for the second, the Rangers' second five-on-three goal in three tries (and the one failed attempt was just a few seconds long).
So make it 9-for-25 (36 percent) in the past five games. How refreshing! ...
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Doc's Sports Service:
NHL Power Rankings --
A training video for the young'uns on firing the deceptive wrist BB.
NHL TV:
Gaborik's goal last night
NHL Power Rankings --
3) New York Rangers (25/1) - The Rangers are playing well offensively and clicking on defense. Marian Gaborik is earning his massive contract so far, and likely will until he inevitably gets hurt. The team has always had the talent, but so far this year they are playing with what they have lacked - cohesiveness and determination.
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ICINGS:A training video for the young'uns on firing the deceptive wrist BB.
NHL TV:
Gaborik's goal last night
One of the King's popular fans shows his love on BlueshirtsUnited:
I read a Leafs thread tonight. Some were talking about the shot differential, saying that showed a clear territorial advantage for Toronto.
Others pointed out how they were not all that impressed by Gaborik, or Drury, or Avery, etc. Like, "what's the big deal about all these guys?
I think that is the best criticism I have ever head about recent Rangers teams.
They totally missed the point. The teamwork is looking pretty good right now.
I hope Tortorella can get the team to stop tempting fate by taking all these dumb-ass penalties.
Confidence is one thing, recklessness another.