Don’t look now, but the Rangers just may be alive and kicking folks. I am trying not to get ahead of myself but when you break new ground like they’re doing right now, it’s hard not to be a giddy fan. That “new ground” is not in franchise history, but rather for this season, with foreign concepts like “consistency” and “winning streaks” returning to the mix after being absent to start the campaign. Since the start of the new year the Blueshirts have played eight games, going 5-1-2 in the stretch with wins over top teams like the Devils and Knights, along with solid outings against Boston, Dallas, Colorado, and Utah. They’ve even played well in the losses, as their overall night to night consistency is starting to come around, which has allowed them and their fans to start to dream a bit about a run to the postseason. But how have they done it? Let’s take a deep dive on what has the Rangers moving up the standings in an effort to save their season.

Unlikely Heroes

The Rangers have needed contributions from the supporting cast to turn things around, with several key players either hurt or not living up their usual standards. For a group that never struggled to score goals, the well has at times dried up this year, opening the place for others to chip in. Three players have been supplying that unlikely offense of late as Reilly Smith, Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom are all scoring at key times, especially on the team’s recent west coast trip. Carrick and Smith have been particularly fun to watch as they have both been solid additions to this team at both ends of the rink, to the point it makes you wish the rest of the group was performing better. Their contributions need to continue while the rest of the team gets its legs under themselves.

While the three forwards I mentioned have been very solid, don’t forget the blue line, where newcomers Will Borgen and Urho Vaakaninen have been a steadying influence at the back end. I wasn’t a fan of either player when the Rangers acquired them from Anaheim and Seattle respectively, and when they struggled early, I was even less excited. But, of late you’re seeing both additions play a smart and steady defensive game, one that sees them manage the puck better than the Rangers d-core did early on this year. While part of me would still rather see Zac Jones in over Vaakaninen and Braden Schneider see more minutes than Borgen, it’s hard to argue with success.

A Return to Form

But enough about the unlikely heroes, how about the guys we expect to wear capes every night? Artemi Panarin isn’t quite having the year he had last season but he’s still a point per game player, Adam Fox isn’t scoring goals but he is still racking up the points while defending well in spite of his partners, and Vincent Trocheck is leading on and off the ice with his play and his personality. No surprise really that those three continue to do their job, but the Rangers have needed more from Mika Zibanejad all along as number 93 has endured his worst season yet on Broadway. After what was just a “fine” year by his standards in 2023-24, Zibanejad followed it up by looking like a shell of his former self. With his name on the trade block and his confidence essentially gone, some good performances were essential to both Mika and the team, and fortunately that has come together for him as he has eight points (2 G’s, 6 A’s) in the eight-game stretch to begin 2025. It does go deeper than just his counting stats though, as there is more aggression, passion and straight line play back in Mika’s game, something Peter Laviolette had repeatedly said was “in there” and would “break out again.”

While Chris Kreider hasn’t exactly returned to being his “old self,” the Rangers are in major need of his offensive handiwork to help dig themselves out of the hole they were in and his goal, and usual screaming celly Thursday night in Utah was a good way to start. To say Kreider has had a miserable year would be an understatement, as he has been hampered by a back injury and his own lackluster effort on the ice. It’s possible father time is starting to catch up with number 20, who will turn 34 this April, who has plenty of playoff mileage on those tires, but in the end Kreider needs to raise his game. Even if that just comes in the form of his net front presence helping the team score power-play goals, the Rangers would really benefit from that increased production. With all this said, we haven’t even gotten to the hard part yet.

The Road Ahead

As fun as it is to sit here and talk about 5-1-2 in the last eight and their more trademark aggression, fun and passion returning to their games, nothing at all is resolved or saved. Now comes the grueling part following an already exhausting road trip, as the Rangers return to MSG for the first of several key tilts with teams ahead of them in standings. If they want to seriously join the playoff mix, rather than just be close to it, they need to rack up more wins against Columbus, Montreal, Ottawa and Philadelphia before they host Colorado and Carolina to finish the month.

Whether or not this team can keep it going remains to be seen. When you struggle for as long as they did, then you have to admit that the down in the dumps mess of a team that they were, could still resurface at any time. But right now, with the old and new faces finding their games and a healthy Igor Shesterkin back in the pipes, the Rangers have as good a chance as any of the other middling teams in front of them in the standings. So, if you’re going to the games this week, get behind the boys and hopefully the Blueshirts keep the run going!

We’ll have plenty of Rangers content coming in the weeks and months ahead as this bizarre season continues to run its course. We’ll covering the Rangers and the NHL as a whole both here on the site and on the podcast network, so stay tuned! On Twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!