The identity of the Rangers

Following a four-game losing streak, the Rangers had picked up steam by winning three consecutive games over the Stars, Coyotes and Flyers, before losing on Thursday night to the team with the best record in the league, the Boston Bruins. With 12 games played and the season now being a month in, the Rangers are at a nearly identical record as they were at this point last season. The Rangers are currently 6-4-2. After 12 games last year, the Rangers were 6-3-3. The biggest difference, however, has been their play style.

Last year, the Rangers relied heavily on spectacular goaltending from Igor Shesterkin to earn their victories, especially within the first month. Shesterkin had a stellar .947 SV% and 1.70 GAA in October last year in 7 games played. In October of this year, Shesterkin came down to Earth with a .913 SV% and 2.55 GAA. Fans of the team know that last season’s success came down to great goaltending and timely power play goals, with a large struggle to produce at even strength.

According to Natural Stat Trick, through 12 games last season the Rangers were last in the league in scoring chances for percentage (SCF%) at 5v5 with 43.18. They were also second to last in expected goals for percentage (xGF%) at 5v5 with 44.29. This stat weighs the probability that a team will score goals based on shot quality and several different factors. The Rangers are doing exceptionally better in both categories so far this season, as their 53.37 SCF% ranks ninth, and their 54.21 xGF% ranks seventh.

If you don’t subscribe to analytics and only trust your eyes, the game tapes show that the Rangers are spending significantly more time in the offensive zone. By spending more time in the attacking zone, the team has possession of the puck more, which means scoring chances are more likely to occur. The more scoring chances a team gets, the more likely they will score. As an example, on Tuesday, the Rangers more than doubled the Flyers in amount of time spent in the offensive zone. The Rangers were not able to come away with a goal until the overtime period, but they clearly dominated the game. Also, they hit four posts in that game, so they got unlucky.

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If the Rangers can maintain this style of play for the entirety of the season, it would represent a significant change in identity from last year where they dumped the puck more than they carried it across the opposing blue line. When talking to Corey Sznajder on my podcast last week, he mentioned the Rangers are carrying the puck in on their zone entries around 53% of the time, which is relatively good compared to the rest of the league. I believe this is due in part to youngsters Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière being integrated into the top six, adding skill and talent to an already established group of skaters. While the points are still not there for both players, they are playing well and seem to fit in with the leaders of the team. The bottom six might need some improvement, but the first two forward lines are generating lots of chances, which is a great sign. Fans should be confident that Kakko, Lafrenière and most importantly, the team, can translate their strong play into goals and more victories.

-Joey DiMeglio, Ice Cold Takes: A New York Sports Podcast

*Thumbnail credit: Getty Images