First Place New York Rangers Lose 3-0 to the Sens: An Omen of Things to Come?

Thursday night the streaking New York Rangers fell to the Ottawa Senators in a 3-0 shutout. Prior to the game the Rangers were on yet another 5 game win-streak, adding to their simply amazing first half of the 2011-2012 season.

At this time, some fans may become a bit panicked or at least feel somewhat let down. This is normal. Seeing the end of a win streak is tough, especially when it ends your team's reign of having the most points in the NHL. 

The question remains—What does this loss mean?

To put it bluntly, this loss means absolutely nothing.

Though the Rangers have technically lost their spot as the first place team in NHL (putting up 58 points) as the Canucks have surpassed them in points (currently with 59), the Rangers have four games in hand on them.

The win streak that was broken was also one of the four 5+ game win streaks on the season.  Not to shabby for a team that barely grabbed a playoff spot at the end of last year's season.

This start marks the best first half of a season since, I believe, the 1993-1994 season. As a diehard New York Rangers fan, this news made me "get a good feeling" to say the least.

Is this a sign of good things to come?

I, and my fellow Blue Shirts, certainly hope so.

Losses happen. A shutout loss may even be exactly what the Rangers needed. A loss like that motivates every player to skate harder, fight longer along the boards and just play with a fire, a desire to prove to the fans and to the competition that they're still Stanley Cup Contenders.

The bottom line is the New York Rangers are arguably one of the best, if not the best team in the NHL at this point in the season. Their loss to the Senators, though difficult to watch, was just a small road bump on the path to success the New York Rangers currently find themselves on.