Blueshirts must take advantage of easy schedule as they search for help in a trade
“Kiss Cam”? Kreider gives Talbot’s helmet a victory smooch (Mike Strobe/Getty images)
The Rangers have an easy part of the schedule. This is the time to take advantage of a slightly advantageous week of games. When the calendar flips over to March, things get a lot tougher.
In advance of the March 2nd, trade deadline, there are games the Blueshirts should win!
In March there are games against Nashville, Detroit, two against Chicago, two games against Washington, the Kings, Ducks, Bruins, Jets, and the finale against the bitter Islanders. The disparity in strength of schedule is night and day.
The Rangers have to take advantage of the games they should win.
The New York Rangers have the best goal differential (+39) in the East. Offense is working on all cylinders. The back end needs a little work but with the top goaltender in the world, that is a luxury the Rangers can live without for now. Cam Talbot has even been one of the best backup tenders in the league. Most backup goaltending has not been very good this season overall around the league. The Rangers are the exception with a solid backup in Talbot.
Related: The Rangers at Buffalo Sabres
Backup to Talbot, Mackenzie Skapski won a game for the Rangers in Buffalo.
The Rangers played one of their best sixty minute games all season. They made things as easy as they could for the twenty year old Goalie MacKenzie Skapski. There was an urgency to keep possession of the puck so the kid didn’t get overwhelmed. The Rangers even won over sixty percent of draws for the first time all season. The defensive game the Blueshirts played in Buffalo is encouraging with the playoffs around the corner. They can play a tight game in the playoffs if they need to.
As we get closer to the trade deadline, there’s speculation the Rangers are looking at a lot of possibilities.
Larry Brooks has the Rangers management looking at Mark Letestu of Columbus. He says the Glen Sather may try to acquire Sabres (F) Torrey Mitchell or Calgary (F) Curtis Glencross. The Rangers would have to shed salary to fit Curtis Glencross under the salary cap so out of those three I see only Letestu and Mitchell as possibilities.
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