The New-Look Rangers Finally Giving Excitement To Fans

What to make of the Rangers' most recent stretch of games.

No, the Rangers do not need a good spanking. Not at all.

Yeah, they blew a lead in the dying minutes of regulation last night in Denver. So, what?

Yeah, they blew overtime chances and eventually the game and their three-game win streak. So, what?

Yeah, Pistol Pete Laviolette is right when he complains out loud, "We didn't get it done."

But he's also wrong, because his hockey club is getting it done; slowly but surely. (And, by the way, "done," means making the playoffs.

Face it, fans, the Blueshirts crusade right now is as simple as this – get to the postseason. Yes, progress is being made.

Out of a possible eight points they've come away with seven; and that ain't too bad. They are creeping up.

"When grit guys like (Adam) Edstrom and (Sam) Carrick are your goal scorers," says The Old Scout, "you have to be happy. (Artemi) Panarin and (Vincent) Trocheck are not going to win every game for you."

True. The issue now is how Pistol Pete's skaters rebound from this frustrating OT defeat in Denver. They get their chance tomorrow night in Salt Lake City against the Once Upon A Time Coyotes.

Meanwhile, The Maven has a bone to pick with Lavvy and it has to do with last night and a certain player who was only given 6:50 of ice time.

Yeah, Matt Rempe.

All signs suggest that the brilliant coach is going to pigeonhole his reformed giant into another nothing role with minimal minutes while diluting his effectiveness.

Lavvy had created an impressive fourth line with Carrick and Edstrom aligned with The Skating Giraffe. In the end Carrick – plus 2 – wound up with 13;08 of ice time while Edstrom was trimmed to 10:04.

Even with a measly six minutes and change, The Remper managed a plus one and – who knows? – given a real chance to exploit some good shifts he might have done more damage to the Avs.

Now the quest for a three-game winning streak has to start all over in Utah where the NHL is thriving and crowds are whooping it up in every game.

The Maven would be remiss if I didn't mention that Mika Zibanejad hoped for revival and took a minus-2 hit from the Avs.

"It also was a game that Shesty was on the verge of stealing," The Old Scout concludes, "but he didn't and that's gotta hurt."

It does until you realize that the Blueshirts got a point and, yeah, seven out of eight is just fine in this horse race!