Grading the New York Rangers' Performance for the First Half of NHL Season

The first half of the NHL season has come and gone, and it's time to grade the New York Rangers' performance thus far.

Pegged as a preseason Cup favorite, the Rangers limped through the first month and a half of the season, finishing February with a 9-8-2 record. 

A four-game win streak into March, however, has them at 13-10-2, and they are playing like the team that many expected them to be.

What is the grade for the Rangers' performance so far? What about each individual unit?

I'll give each unit a grade and then give the team as a whole a final grade.

Read on to find out what grades were given out. 

Offense

Grade: B-

The Rangers have never had a great offense in recent years. Last season, they averaged 2.71 goals per game, which was actually quite high for them.

This season, they have regressed a bit, averaging 2.48 goals per game. That's what a slow start will do to you.

However, they are picking it up as of late. In five games in March, the Rangers have scored 16 goals, which comes out to an average of three goals per game.

This resurgence has been led by Rick Nash. The team is 5-2-0 since his return from injury, and Nash has scored six goals and added five assists in that span.

The team struggled early on, mostly due to struggles by Nash, Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin. Now, everyone seems to be clicking.

Hagelin is having a great year, as is Derek Stepan, and both players seem to be maturing into their roles as top-six wingers.

Ryan Callahan, who continues his strong defensive play, has scored eight goals and added three assists and has been a force on the forecheck.

Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards and Brian Boyle have struggled mightily, but all have scored at least once in the past week, indicating that they may be coming out of whatever is ailing them. 

This is becoming a dynamic offense. Nash has become simply unstoppable and is showing why the team gave up so much to acquire him. If Gaborik, Richards and Boyle can break out of their slumps, then this team has the makings of a top offense.

That said, it's still rounding into form. If Nash continues this play, then the Rangers have a Cup-worthy offense.

It's not there yet, and it wasn't there for most of the first half. Because of that, we have to give the offense a "B-" grade. 

Still, that looks like it's going to change, and by season's end, it seems like that grade will be in the "A" range. 

Defense

Grade: B+

The Rangers depend upon a solid defense to win games.

So far, it's starting to work. The Rangers are sixth in goals allowed per game, giving up 2.36 goals per game. For comparison, last season the Rangers gave up 2.22 goals per game.

The Rangers have relied upon a typically great season from Dan Girardi, who is averaging nearly 25 minutes per game. With Marc Staal now out indefinitely, that workload will only increase.

Ryan McDonagh has had struggles this year, but he has been rounding into form as of late. He is still a shutdown defender who is showing more and more offensive skill each game.

I may be in the minority, but I have liked Anton Stralman's game. He's not a shutdown defender, but I think he makes solid, heady plays and has a nice shot from the point.

Michael Del Zotto is a lightning rod for fans, but he is the only defenseman capable of running the power play. In addition, his play in his own end has improved.

Steve Eminger and Matt Gilroy are serviceable as a sixth defenseman, but with Marc Staal out, they cannot be trusted to play more minutes. If Staal is out for the rest of the year, a new defenseman is required.

The Rangers will struggle without Staal, and that hurts their grade a bit. Still, it's a talented unit, with guys willing to play physical and sacrifice their body to block a shot.

I'll give the group a "B+." From a pure numbers standpoint, while still good, they have regressed a bit from last season and that is reflected in the grade. 

Goaltending

Grade: A-

Contrary to belief, Henrik Lundqvist is having another great season.

He has a 2.28 goals against average, true. However, when you correct for time on ice, Lundqvist has the fourth-best goals against average, behind only Pekka Rinne, Antti Niemi and Tuukka Rask. 

Similarly, when correcting for time on ice, Lundqvist has the fourth-best save percentage, at .919. 

When putting the numbers in this context, Lundqvist is having another great year. Like always, this team will go as far as he takes them. If the halfway mark is any indication, then the Rangers could go far.

Martin Biron is competent as always as a backup goalie, sporting a 2.18 goals against average and a .923 save percentage in five games.

The Rangers put a lot of pressure on Lundqvist and so far he has responded with typically terrific numbers. With a solid backup, the Rangers' goaltending deserve an "A-" grade. 

Special Teams

Grade: B-

In recent years, the Rangers have had a top penalty kill and a mediocre to awful power play.

This year is no different.

The Rangers have a very good penalty kill, killing off penalties 84.3 percent of the time. That is down, however, from last year, when they killed off penalties 86.2 percent of the time. That is likely due to the loss of Brandon Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko.

Still, it's a good penalty kill, one that is led by Ryan Callahan, who is having an all-around terrific season. 

It's not as good as last year, but it is still a good one, one of the better units in the league.

The power play is a different story. The Rangers score on 15.7 percent of their power-play chances. 

That's not good enough. Power plays are incredibly important in the playoffs, where they serve as the ultimate momentum swing—score a goal on the man advantage, and the momentum is huge. Fail on the power play, and the other team gets a huge boost. 

They have improved as of late, scoring five power-play goals in their past six games. 

Still, it's not good enough, and until they have more consistency, it will keep them from becoming a truly elite team.

Because the special teams are so mixed, we'll give them a "B-" grade. 

Verdict

Final Grade: B-

The Rangers are certainly coming together. Once out of the playoff picture, the Rangers find themselves as the eighth seed, while having games in hand on most of the teams ahead of them.

There's still plenty of time to get out of the early-season doldrums, and they seem to be past the four-game losing streak from the end of February.

Rick Nash is playing at an extremely high level, as are Ryan Callahan, Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin. 

Yes, the Rangers need much more from Marian Gaborik, Brad Richards and Brian Boyle. There are some encouraging signs, but not enough.

The defense is playing well and have, thus far, withstood the effects of losing Marc Staal. When Staal is healthy, the Rangers have one of the best top four in hockey.

Still, Steve Eminger, Matt Gilroy and Roman Hamrlik, while serviceable for the sixth position, are not suited for the fifth position and an upgrade is needed if Staal is out for a long period of time. 

At goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist is still on top of his game, and a deep dive into the stats reveal he is once again amongst the best in the league. 

The special teams, as always, are a mixed bag, with a fine penalty kill, but a woeful power play.

This is still a good team, one that is capable of reaching their preseason potential. They are coming together in recent games and are riding their horses—Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist—to success.

They need more contributions from some second- and third-liners and need to deal with the potential long-term effects of Marc Staal's injury. 

Because of the early-season struggles, the Rangers cannot merit a grade higher than a "B-." The first month and a half was incredibly disappointing.

The past six games, however, have shown what the Rangers can do, and what their potential was supposed to be. Is it a mirage? Hard to say. But if this is finally the real Rangers showing up, then things are looking good.