New York Rangers: 5 Reasons Rangers Are Stanley Cup Contenders

The New York Rangers sit atop the Eastern Conference playoff race with 95 points on the season, leading the surging Pittsburgh Penguins by one point.

The Rangers have been stellar all season and have been the top team in the East for many weeks.

Possessing one of the league's top goaltenders, the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist has been nothing but superb in his sixth season with the team.

The Rangers' defense has been stout all season and the team has collected 13 wins thus far against Atlantic Division rivals, including a Winter Classic victory on the Philadelphia Flyers' home turf.

The Atlantic Division, despite the New York Islanders, will have four teams in the playoffs unless something drastic happens within the next 10 games.  

That being said, the Rangers have played in one of the most competitive divisions in hockey and have still managed to win.

Although being in a recent slump, losing five of their last seven, here are five reasons why the New York Rangers are Stanley Cup contenders.

Defense

The Rangers' defense, behind the Swedish brick wall in net, has allowed opponents to 2.2 goals per game, which is third in the league.

The Rangers' penalty-kill percentage is fifth in the league at 86.4 percent.

Twenty-one-year-old defenseman Michael Del Zotto leads all Rangers defensemen in points, picking up 35 on the season.

Del Zotto has seven goals to go along with 28 assists, which is the fourth highest on the team.

If the motto "defense wins championships" turns out to be true and not just some sports fallacy, the Rangers look to have a good chance of hoisting Lord Stanley's cup.

Marian Gaborik

The Rangers' star right winger has been sensational all season long.

The Czechoslovakia native has a team high 66 points on the season with a balanced attack of 35 goals and 31 assists.

Marian Gaborik's 35 goals have landed him tied for third in the league and top 20 overall when it comes to points.

Gaborik has lit the lamp at least two times in six game this season, including one hat trick.

With Gaborik supplying steady fire power, the Rangers' leading scorer will be relied on heavily if New York plans on making a Stanley Cup run.

Eastern Conference Foes

The Rangers have played good hockey all season long, including against the other seven teams who are currently in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

New York has a record of 17-11 against the seven teams behind them in the East, including zero losses to both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins.

If the playoffs began today, the Rangers would be facing off against the Washington Capitals, a team the Rangers have played three times, collecting two wins and one loss.

The Rangers are fairly familiar with all of the Eastern Conference foes who are trying to snag a playoff position.  

Having a winning record against them bodes well for New York's chances of being a Stanley Cup contender.

Remaining Schedule

With 11 games remaining on their 2011-12 season, five of those games will be against non playoff-caliber teams.

The Rangers also face off against Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, teams that they have gone 10-1 against throughout the season.

Stuck in a recent slump, the Rangers' remaining 11 games give them a chance to get back to their winning ways and regain that New York swagger.

Confidence is key when it comes to competition, and the Rangers have a chance to regain that confidence and head full speed into the NHL playoffs.

Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist has been one of the league's top goalies for the past few seasons.

This season, Lundqvist is second overall in save percentage (.934), third overall in goals against average (1.89) and fifth overall in wins (32).

Lundqvist posts career averages of 2.27 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.  

This season his statistics are significantly greater. He has his highest save percentage of .934, and for the first time in his career Lundqvist is averaging below two goals against per game at 1.89.

In 17 games this season, Lundqvist has held opponents to under two goals, including posting eight shutouts.

With Lundqvist having his best season yet, the Rangers hope to make it one of their best seasons by taking home the Stanley Cup.