A Blueprint To Save the Blueshirts Season

CALM DOWN! CALM DOWN! The Rangers are not dead; at least not yet.

They're still above the .500 mark (7-6-1); third – behind Carolina and New Jersey – in the Met

Division – and still have some assets to exploit; the kind that lifted them so well before the injury plague.

They still can make the playoffs – remember, I have a bet on with Blue Collar Blue Shirt publisher Sean McCaffrey that they WILL make it – and here's how:

1. FAITH IN GARAND: The young goalie wants to play. He's in shape; he's motivated and there's no reason not to play him IN EVERY SINGLE GAME.

2. BETTER DEFENSE: Adam Fox is playing Norris Trophy hockey again. And when his defense mate Slava Gavrikov is paying attention, you've got as good a solid one-two D combo as there is in the league. Plus, new guys like Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson are better than last season's old guys like Will Borgen.

3. THE LAFRENIERE MIRACLE: For a couple of years Alexis Lafrenière looked like he was auditioning for The Scarecrow in a remake of "The Wizard Of Oz." But that was long ago.

Now Laffing Boy is scoring goals like nobody's business but yours and The Maven's. With the ghost of Artemi Panartin gone West, the new, mature Lafrenière could lead the offense as he has been since Game One.

4. TOUGHIES WHO CAN PLAY: Will Cuylle agonizingly slowly – but surely – is coming to realize that he can blend boffo hockey with lamplighting. The template is the guy in the next locker – Tye Kartye who is setting the example with goals, assists and points. 

5. LEADERSHIP: This is on the captain.J.T. Miller who knows damn well that his seasons are rolling by to a precious few. So is this season. Next week is November. What a grand chance for this old pro to take over his team; set the best example.

6. THE DOROFEYEV DILLEMMA: Everyone knew that – in the offseason – the Blueshirt brass failed to find a high-quality center like Vegas' Jack Eichel. Neither J.T. Miller nor Mika Zibanejad have helped extract the goals that would prevent this Dorofeyev disaster from getting worse.