The Rangers are off to a hot start, but it's only October.

At this point in time the best thing that can be said about the Rangers is that they are just "Luke."

That's not even lukewarm, nor warm and certainly not hot.

What the usual Garden capacity crowd witnessed last night was the home club barely celebrating "Alexis Lafrenière Just Got Rich Night" with the feeblest of victories.

Against an Anaheim team that has missed the playoffs for six straight years – and will miss again – the Blueshirts barely eked out a 2-1 victory.

After being humbled by the Florida Cup champions at home on Thursday, the Rangers figured to deliver a rip-roaring-we'll-knock-'em-dead effort to demonstrate that they are more alive than the sleepwalkers of the other night.

Instead, coach Peter Laviolette needed a goal from a defenseman who never scores (Ryan Lindgren) and another from third-liner Will Cuylle to win their first in a row.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Quick showed that he's just as good as avaricious Igor Shesterkin while the hockey world waits and wonders if there'll be a Shesty pact wrapped up like the one for Big Al Lafrenière.

Never-To-Ask-For-More Dough, Quick made 32 saves against a team which The Hockey News Yearbook's Greg Beacham described as its "most exciting off-season additions are new uniforms and an updated version of its classic logo."

But maybe we shouldn't complain since it's often hard to get even warm – if not hot – against the Humpties.

"New York got its two points," says The Old Scout, "but it had better shape up against the Capitals in Washington on Tuesday.

Yes, that would be a pretty good idea if they are hell bent toward winning a second consecutive, coveted Presidents' Trophy next spring.