Rangers Are Getting a Five-Day Break at the Perfect Time

After losing their last game to the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Rangers are now in the middle of a five-day break and won’t play again until November 1st against the Edmonton Oilers. This break comes at the perfect time, as the team has been struggling of late, losing their last three games in regulation and losing them in bad ways. This time off allows them to rest and reset, and when they come back to play, they hope to look like the team that started the season 7-3-1.

Have Lost Their Last Three Games in Embarrassing Ways

At this time last week, the Rangers had a 7-3-1 record and were looking like a team that was figuring out how to play without their best player, Igor Shesterkin, and were doing it well. They went on the road for two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators and lost both of those games in different ways. They went down early against the Leafs, but were able to tie the game in the third period, only to lose the game by giving up the game-winning goal with less than 30 seconds left in regulation. Against Ottawa, they went down 3-0 quickly and could never recover, even though they did manage to score four goals, losing by a final score of 7-4.

In their last game before the break, they would be taking on the Kings at Madison Square Garden, where they were 6-0-0 on the season. The thought was that they could get back to their game on home ice against a struggling team, but it was the Kings who scored three in the first period and never looked back. They lost 6-3 to a team that had just two wins on the season, and the Kings outplayed them the entire night. All three of these games were embarrassing losses, and the Rangers looked nothing like the team they were a week ago.

Using This Break to Rest & Recover

With all of the struggles the team has gone through lately, this break comes at a great time, as it allows them to rest and recover from the whirlwind of a season they have had so far. They are dealing with some injuries besides Shesterkin, as Joonas Korpisalo has been hurt since the start of the season, but he finally got back on the ice and was skating on his own last weekend. Sean Durzi, who has played in these last three games, has missed multiple practices and morning skates during that span, so he can now rest up what has been bothering him.

This break also allows a player like Dylan Garand to get rest not just physically, but mentally as well. He was thrust into being a starting goalie for the Rangers when he was on waivers barely a month ago and was expected to play in the American Hockey League. After seven consecutive starts and eight appearances after he came into the last game against the Kings in relief of James Reimer, the fatigue has begun to show. He’s not as sharp as he was a few weeks ago, and with no true help arriving just yet, the Rangers need Garand to be at his best.

The Rangers Must Come Out of This Break Better Than Before

It’s not often that an NHL team gets a five-day break a month into the season, but the Rangers got one. Now, when they come out of this time off, they need to look like the team they were at the start of the season and not the one they have been the last three games. While they don’t have Shesterkin as they did earlier, they were still playing an overall better defensive game earlier on, and they have gotten away from that. They need to find a way to get back to that style of play, as that will help relieve some of the pressure Garand has been facing, as it seems every game he plays, the defense leaves him out to dry.

On the offensive side, they need to get more out of Pavel Dorofeyev and quickly. He’s been getting his shots on goal, but they are not going in, or they are hitting the post or crossbar. He’s been very unlucky so far, and if this team has any shot at getting back to where they want to be, they need their sniper to start scoring goals on a more consistent basis. Getting more offensive production from the bottom-six is also needed, as when the top-six fails to provide, the bottom-six hasn’t been there to help carry the burden. A player like Noah Laba is someone to watch, as he has yet to score a goal this season.

The hot start the Rangers were on has completely cooled off, and now they are looking like the team many thought they would be. A middle-of-the-pack team that could fight for a playoff spot if all went right for them. So far, not much has gone right for this team, but they have shown they can fight through this adversity. This break came at a crucial time, and now, when they come back to face the Oilers at MSG, they should be well-rested and hungry to get back to being the team they were just a few weeks ago.