Earlier this season, if you doubted the Rangers and thought they were headed for a rough year with no chance of turning things around, it wouldn’t have been hard to agree. There were many moments that made it seem like things were slipping away.
However, now it looks like the Rangers are back in form, and they may even be stronger than before. While we won’t know for sure until the NHL playoffs, Thursday night at Madison Square Garden provided plenty of proof. They dominated the Flyers 6-1, extending their points streak to 10 games (7-0-3). This is the 14th time in franchise history they’ve managed such a streak.
Offensive Surge
Since January 2, the Rangers have scored 43 goals, the most in the NHL. They’ve also gained 19 points during this stretch, which is the highest in the league.
Filip Chytil, who scored his 11th goal of the season to give the Rangers a 4-1 lead, praised the team’s mental resilience, saying, “Even in the tough moments which we had, I think we didn’t lose our heads, because we know what team we have, and we just didn’t forget to play hockey in a couple of months.”
He added, “Sometimes you have stretches like this in a season, and it’s just about the team, how you respond. And I think, for the last month, we’ve responded in a good way, and that’s why we’re winning these hard games. We have to keep going like this.”
Team Effort and Shesterkin’s Solid Play
The Rangers’ success isn’t just about one or two players; it’s a full-team effort. Igor Shesterkin, despite allowing a goal early in the game, showed his usual brilliance by stopping 35 shots, including a difficult second period where the Flyers fired 17 shots. He was key to the win, and his performance has been stellar recently, with a 6-0-1 record in his last seven games and allowing only one goal in his last three.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette praised Shesterkin’s performance, saying, “He was fantastic. He’s been playing like that. He’s been right on point with his game.”
Chytil shared his confidence in Shesterkin, saying, “I don’t have to talk about him at all, because he’s just speaking with his performance on the ice. He’s unbelievable and we know he’s great, but also we’ve gotta help him, because he can’t just stand on his head and make all the saves.”
Strong Offensive Contributions Across the Team
The Rangers’ offense has been diverse, with goals coming from unexpected places. They fired shots into traffic, creating opportunities from deflections, with Chytil and Adam Edstrom both scoring. Three Rangers defensemen found the back of the net—Braden Schneider, K’Andre Miller, and Adam Fox. It was the first time since 2019 that all six defensemen had at least one point in a game.
Reilly Smith added a late goal, and it was a crucial win for the Rangers, who are currently fighting for a spot in the Wild Card race along with the Flyers. The victory should give Rangers fans confidence, especially after the team’s struggles earlier in the season. The players believe in their potential, and it seems the fans should too.
Defenseman K’Andre Miller expressed the team’s confidence, saying, “I think everybody in this room knew how good of a team we are, honestly. I think the last couple of games have shown a lot of good things. And how good we can be.”
