NHL Playoffs Race: Why the New York Rangers Are Peaking at the Right Time

New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash seemed to be all but absent during his showing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. He scored three goals in 25 games, and the Rangers struggled offensively in the defeat to the Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings.

Today, the 30-year-old veteran is the major reason why New York has won seven of the last 10 games. Nash has been nothing less than spectacular for the team in the Big Apple as of late. The Ontario native has scored eight times in New York's 10-game swing and ranks second in the NHL in goals (36).

Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press

This included a four-game winning streak that was capped by a comeback overtime 6-5 victory over the New York Islanders on Feb. 16. The game was a statement win that proved the Rangers can compete for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division with the crosstown rivals.

His plus/minus statistic is good for sixth-overall in the NHL. When Nash is on the ice, New York has 23 more goals than their opponents this season. 

If Nash can continue to perform at this rate offensively, the Rangers will not have trouble contending with the top teams in the Eastern Conference going forward. He provides a go-to scoring option that the team did not have last season. Nash has long eclipsed his goal total from 2013-14 (26).

He is playing as if he has hopped into the Fountain of Youth this year, scoring goals from all over the ice when New York has been in need an offensive push. Nash needs five goals to tie his career high of 41 in the 2003-04 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Chris Kreider's 31 points have and will continue to provide a lift beside veteran Martin St. Louis on the second line. St. Louis has 26 assists and can be a playmaker as the team heads into the last 20-plus games of the season.

Nash scored the game-winning goal against the Arizona Coyotes, to secure Alain Vigneault's 500th career victory on Feb. 14, and the coach deflected the attention to the great players he has had over the years, according to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today).

"I feel very privileged and fortunate to have all those good players through the years," Vigneault told the Associated Press.

Per the AP, Nash credited a player who not many would have expected to have such an prominent role on the team at this point in the season: 27-year-old goaltender Cam Talbot. 

"Cam's been the backbone of our team," Nash told the Associated Press.

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Talbot comfortable under the spotlight

When starting goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist suffered a rare vascular throat injury on Jan. 31, the Rangers had a reason to doubt their Stanley Cup playoff chances going forward.

The reason to doubt has turned into a reason to believe, due to the performance of the backup goalkeeper Talbot. Since King Henrik's injury, which is expected to keep him off the ice for over three weeks, New York is 5-1-2. 

Talbot has been the backup to Lundqvist for the past two seasons and has been awaiting his turn. Per Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post, Talbot is beginning to feel more and more comfortable as the games continue.

“I feel really good now, actually,” Talbot told Cyrgalis before the Rangers 5-4 shootout loss against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. “I took maybe a couple games to get that back, since I haven’t played this many games in a row in a couple years."

According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, Talbot will be the first Rangers goaltender other than Lundqvist to start eight consecutive games in goal since 2004. 

The Rangers will have to get used to the 27-year-old in the net, as they continue the hunt for the postseason in the competitive Metropolitan Division. Lundqvist expressed to fans on Twitter that he plans to listen to the doctors and will not rush back on the ice:

New York's defense will have to take some of the burden off of the backup goaltender if the team wants to continue to win games against tougher opponents. The offense has scored three goals or more in the last five matches, but Ryan McDonagh's crew will have to improve going forward.

The Rangers would benefit from making a move for a defenseman before the NHL trade deadline on March 2. Andrej Sekera of the Carolina Hurricanes would be a perfect fit in New York to give the defense a much-needed boost.  

While the Rangers trust the new man in the net, it remains to be seen how he will fare through the end of the season as the pressure continues to build.