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New York Rangers Proving To Be Most Dangerous Team In the East

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Things can’t get much better for the New York Rangers than they are right now. With one loss in the last month, New York has won 12 of their last 13 games after defeating the Los Angeles Kings in a Finals rematch last night. The Rangers knew that their current West Coast road trip would be a measuring stick of sorts, and they’re passing the test to say the least. After defeating the Anaheim Ducks and the Kings on back-to-back nights, New York is looking like the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference.

There are many reasons for the Rangers’ surge over the last five weeks. For starters, everyone on the team is playing with high confidence and chemistry. New York hasn’t had to make many adjustments to their lineup and have found four consistent lines that are all playing well together.

Certain role players are also stepping up and playing their best hockey of the season. Players like J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes have done extremely well — especially Miller, who usually has trouble playing with consistency. These two young players have played smart hockey of late, and the Rangers need everyone in their lineup to contribute.

Although the Rangers lack individual offensive playmakers, they’re making up for that with impeccable chemistry. Rick Nash is having an MVP-like season, and the rest of the team has definitely fed off of his efforts. All four lines are contributing which makes the Rangers extremely hard to outlast for a full 60 minutes.

The Rangers have also shown resiliency, especially in their rematch with the Kings on Thursday. New York hasn’t trailed much during their extended winning streak, but they fell behind 2-0 early against Los Angeles. The Rangers quickly turned that around with a response goal in the first period and three more in the second. The ability to come back on the road against a team like the Kings cannot be overlooked.

The Rangers’ power play has also looked better than it has in years, making them so much more dangerous. New York is one of the best teams in the NHL when it comes to five-on-five hockey, and adding a power play like they have now makes them a scary team. The Rangers are making decisive plays with a man-advantage and are putting heavy pressure on the defense even when they don’t score.

The combination of their solid even-strength play and the enhanced special teams has made the Rangers a complete team, and their speed has a lot to do with that. The Rangers are one of the fastest skating teams in the league and that’s fueled by their ability to rotate four lines quickly. New York’s speed wears down defenses and also draws a lot of penalties.

For all of these reasons, the Rangers have emerged as one of the top teams in the league, and that’s without even touching on their great goaltending. Henrik Lundqvist is playing at a world-class level as usual, and backup Cam Talbot is gaining confidence with each start.

Talbot hadn’t played since Dec. 21 entering last night’s start against the Kings, and he looked a little rusty at first. He gave up two goals in the first six minutes, but settled down and played a strong game. After starting the season 0-2-1, Talbot has now won four of his last five starts.

he Rangers are looking strong at every position and are as dangerous as ever. New York looks to wrap up a perfect 3-0 California road trip when they face the San Jose Sharks tomorrow night.

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