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New York Rangers Need to Start Proving They Are a Cup Contender

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By @MattNYR12

Andy Marlin - USA TODAY Sports

Andy Marlin – USA TODAY Sports

In a span of eight days, the New York Rangers turned in their two best efforts of the season and their two worst efforts of the season. Their performance against the Tampa Bay Lightning Monday night was especially pathetic.

Forget the fact that former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan pranced around the Madison Square Garden ice at will reminding his former team what they once had in a two-goal effort. The most disturbing aspect of their 5-1 loss is that they simply did not compete against a team, at least on paper, capable of winning a Stanley Cup.

The Rangers came three wins away from a championship last season. Despite some roster turnover, they have a team perfectly capable of getting back to a championship level. One would think this team can play that way on a consistent basis.

Coach Alain Vigneault has every right to be angry at his team. They were completely outclassed by Tampa Bay at home, and their best players didn’t even look ordinary — hey looked overmatched.

Two Sundays ago, they brought their worst effort in a long time against the Edmonton Oilers. Two nights later, they looked like the best team in hockey against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They played great against the Penguins again this past Saturday night, and then played like the worst team in hockey against Tampa.

So what are fans to make of the Rangers after 18 games and a 7-7-4 record? Aside from being maddeningly inconsistent, this squad nonetheless looks eerily similar to the team that made a deep playoff run last season.

At this time last year, the Rangers were 10-10-0. They did not start looking and playing like a contender until January. No one is suggesting they will follow the exact same script, but after 18 games, there is still absolutely zero reason to panic.

Injuries have not allowed the Rangers to establish consistent chemistry: they are still without their captain and second-best player, Ryan McDonagh; Derek Stepan and Dan Boyle, both coming back from long-term injuries, are still finding their game and Rick Nash has cooled off a tad since his red-hot start, but he’s still healthy and a lethal scoring threat.

Yes, there is no reason to panic, but it is time for the Rangers to start proving they belong among the elite. All that needs to happen for the Rangers is simple. Henrik Lundqvist needs to play like Henrik Lundqvist again, as he, like his team, has been very inconsistent. They need Nash to continue to play great, and the rest of their top guys to contribute on a nightly basis. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi need to play better, too.

The Rangers were much worse off at this time last season, and they turned out just fine. They have not had the benefit of a full lineup so far, so it is truly fair to judge this team after McDonagh returns.

Yes, this team has issues and a lot of holes in their game right now, but there is still plenty of time to figure things out.

Matt Stillwell is a New York Rangers contributor for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattNYR12!

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