Mid-Season Report Card and Second Half Preview

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote a blog. The New York Rangers went from being a good team to an elite team. In fact, up until their 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators last night (snapping their 5 game winning streak), the Boys in Blue were sitting first in the entire NHL in points. That loss, coupled with a victory by the Vancouver Canucks last night, has changed things for the time being. However, there is no denying that the Blueshirts have taken the next step that I talked about after last season. Therefore, let's take a look at just what has made the Rangers so successful in the first half, and what they need to do in the final 41 games in order to assure themselves not just a playoff berth, but a high seed as they head in to what could be a fun spring and summer for myself and fellow Rangers fans:

Defense: A
Yep, that's right. You would think with Marc Staal not even playing until the Winter Classic, and 2nd year player Micheal Sauer, also being sidelined (both with concussions), that this area might have taken the biggest hit. Especially with such "household" names (literally), as Stu Bickel and Jeff Woywitka taking their places. However, Dan Girardi slipped right into Staal's role as #1 defenseman, and played well enough to earn a spot on the NHL All Star team. Michael Del Zotto rebounded from a dismal season last year, to become one of the league leaders in plus/minus with a +24 rating, while putting himself in the top 15 in scoring amongst NHL defensemen. Meanwhile, Ryan McDonagh is right behind him, developing his own offensive skills in the early part of the season. These top 3 have led the way for the rest of the defense to settle in and just play their roles. Now with Staal back, and already playing well, and Michael Sauer hopefully not too far off from returning, the Rangers before long could have a top 6 that could be among the very best in the league. But even with injuries, they have already proven to be better than the sum of their parts.

Forwards: B
Marion Gaborik is back to being Marion Gaborik, Brad Richards has come here and been everything advertised, and Derek Stepan has started to develop into one of the better young play makers in the league. Meanwhile, since being named Captain before the start of the season, Ryan Callahan has taken his already well known status as the heart and soul of this team to a new level. He IS the New York Rangers, and so far is the best Captain this team has had, since Messier. Artem Anisimov has cooled off lately, but had developed instant chemistry on a line with Gaborik and Richards. It will be interesting to see if John Tortorella keeps that line separated for long, now that they have "dried up", as he put it the other day.

Brandon Dubinsky had a slow start in the goals department, but has picked it up of late. He will be pivotal moving forward in the 2nd half if the Rangers are going to consistently hit the back of the twine. Carl Hagelin has been a revelation since his call up, enough to earn a spot on the 2nd line with Richards for a time. It will be interesting to see what his role on this team is in the 2nd half, especially now with the return of Wojtek Wolski to the line up.

Brian Boyle has not scored like he did last year, but everyone expected that. He along with Brandon Prust, Mike Rupp and Ruslan Fedetenko have prominent roles on this team as the grunts, who will do the dirty work in the corners and protect their teammates, and they do it very well.

Goalies: A+
Is anyone really surprised by this? Henrik Lundqvist, always a Vezina "candidate" actually has a legitimate shot at the prized trophy this year, as well as the Hart, for league MVP. He has taken his game to the next level and is currently 3rd in the league in Goals Against Average and Save Percentage, but the man who is #1 is Boston Bruins backup, Tuukka Rask, so I consider him to be 2nd in the league in those respective categories. He is also 5th in wins, but he has also not played as much as the men ahead of him. And that is all part of Tortorella's master plan. To get his #1 goalie as much rest as possible during the regular season, so he is fresh for the real season. The one that starts in April, and (hopefully) ends in June.

Martin Biron has been an excellent back-up going 8-2, with a 2.06 GAA. He will undoubtedly continue to provide the King with the occasional rest through the final 41 games.

Special Teams:

Power Play: D

Unfortunately this continues to be a sore spot for the team, as the Rangers are currently 22nd in the league. You have to think at some point, with Richards, Del Zotto and Gaborik on this team, that will improve.

Penalty Kill: A

Thankfully, the penalty kill is as steady as ever, sitting currently at 6th in the league. The Rangers just do not allow opponents much. Blocking shots and pouring molasses over their own zone is this team's specialty, and when shots do get through, #30 is there to stop them.

Coaching: A-

John Tortorella reminds me a lot of Herb Brooks and what he did with the 1980 Olympics team. He has assembled a team better than the sum of it's parts, with an emphasis on extreme conditioning, hard work and outstanding goaltending, all with an eye on one goal: a championship. He critiques what the team could have done better after wins, and makes them leave the ice and come back out if he doesn't like the way they start practice. He is honest, but fair, and clearly this team is buying into it. They respond to him, and they work their butts off for him.

Outlook:

The Rangers need to be weary of the end of January, and most of February. Historically, the last few years, that is when they have problems. Suddenly Henrik cannot stop a beach ball, guys can't bury pucks into an empty net with a goalie on their back, and the team plays sluggish and hangs Lundqvist out to dry on a lot nights. This usually forces them to put the pedal to the metal come March just to make the playoffs. I expect a fall off at some point, but I also feel this is a different team than years past. One that is very well conditioned, has more confidence in themselves, and is just plain better. As long as they don't lose their focus, and Tortorella does not let up on them, I see this team finishing in the top 4 of the conference and securing home ice advantage for the first time since 1996.

Where they go from there?

Well, that is a blog that will be published after April 7th (along with many others before then), so stay tuned. In the meantime, the second half begins tomorrow night in Toronto.