Rangers Desperate for Points Approaching Olympic Break

The New York Rangers, at the moment, sit in the 10th place spot in the Eastern Conference with 55 points. The upcoming five games prior to the Olympic break, which will begin on the 15th for the Blueshirts, are of high importance.

Four of the five games will be played against clubs in the East, and all five will be against teams that are ahead of New York in the standings.

These next five contests can make or break the Blueshirts as far as the playoffs go. If they want to get wins against these teams, their play needs to improve.

The race for a playoff spot begins tonight when the Rangers host the first place Washington Capitals, who are on a 11 game winning streak.

Needless to say, this will be one of the hardest match-ups the Rangers have faced all season.

Washington has dominated every team in their path over the past two weeks and with the way the Blueshirts have been playing, it is likely the Caps will dominate them as well. However, the Rangers should view this as an opportunity to turn things around, spoiling a three-week undefeated streak can certainly boost a team’s confidence.

Things will not get easier for the Rangers, who will face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

The Devils may be in second place in the East, but they are 3-6-2 in their last 10 games and cannot wait for the two week break.

The Blueshirts need to take advantage of a team that has lost confidence. I am confident the Rangers could take this game without even scoring many goals.

The Rangers three-game homestand will end against the Predators.

The Preds are taking the National Hockey League by surprise with their unexpectedly successful season. Nashville is no longer a team that can be looked upon as an easy win. They are true competitors and will give the Rangers a solid run for their money.

The Blueshirts then head out to Pittsburgh, a house of horrors, where they will clash with the high-flying Pens. New York has not found a way to defeat the Penguins yet this season. What makes me most nervous about this contest is that Pittsburgh is a high scoring team, while the Rangers clearly are not.

The Rangers will likely find themselves dropping this game.

Lastly, the Rangers will face the Tampa Bay Lightning on the 14th. The last time the Bolts came to MSG, the Rangers put up an 8-2 effort in a dominating performance. An obliteration of the Bolts would be a perfect way to head into the Olympic break.

These next two weeks may be the most important of the Rangers season thus far.

The playoff race will be excitingly tight coming down the home stretch and the Rangers need all of the points they can get. From here on out, it is points or nothing in every game. The Rangers will need to find a way to bump their nightly scoring if they hope to make a run for the playoffs.