Hold on to you Champagne; the New York Rangers have not won the Stanley Cup. Not even the Dunkin' Donuts Cup.
Beating a team like Nashville, which flew to New York on a wing and a prayer, is virtually an NHL freebie two points; take 'em and get outa town.
The town in question is Tampa Bay where the 8-5-2 Lightning have become electric after a dubious start of the season. The Bolts host The Beloveds tomorrow night.
"The Rangers have not beaten a truly good team so far," says The Old Scout, "so the Lightning will provide a good test."
While beating the Predators – as New York did last night – might be brushed off as a "no-meaning" match, a couple of positives from the win command respect.
TERRIFIC TROCHECK: As The Maven has been warbling for weeks, the Rangers will not look like a team until Vinnie The Vanguard returns to the lineup. That he did last night, and he immediately made a difference. "He's such an important player," says coach Mike Sullivan, "because of his leadership and demeanor."
THE KID: Promoted from Hartford, Gabe Perreault was a ferret on the spoor of a hot puck. He assisted on Lafrenière's power-play goal and sped over the ice like a motivated 20-year-old should.
When I ask my super bird dog Lloyd MacKay to assess the Blueshirt machine, he reports that it needs no fixin' because it ain't broke.
At Long Last The Slumpbusters Have Delivered For The Blueshirts
You know and I know that the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> winless streak couldn't go on forever. And it didn't. The feeble Nashville Predators did little prodding and proved the perfect patsies for the
"Personnel-wise, the Rangers are a strong team," says MacKay. "The additions have been excellent. On defense, Gavrikov consistently does most things right and Sousy may even be better. Borgen and Schneider are solid – with Borgen bringing a lot of physicality."
"Critics might dismiss grunt forwards such as Sam Carrick, Taylor Raddysh and Conor Sheary, but I like Carrick's dynamism; Sheary clearly knows what he's doing and Raddysh already has a hat trick. The third line has been productive, which helps."
MacKay also is bullish about rookie Noah Laba – "he'll be an elite player within the year" – and, to the dismay of naysayers, Lloyd calls Zibanejad the club's "best player overall" since the opener.
Despite all the fussing and fuming over home woes, the Rangers stand 8-7-2 with first place in the crowded division still in view.