Rangers veteran admits ‘hard for doubt not to creep into your mind’ during funk earlier this season

NHL: New York Rangers at Dallas Stars
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Things were about as bad as they could get for the New York Rangers when they ended 2024 with a miserable 4-15-0 stretch. Once atop the Metropolitan Division, they were tied for last place, and nearing the bottom of the NHL standings.

Despite coming off a record-setting Presidents’ Trophy season and having such a talented roster on paper, the Rangers completely lost their game in November and December, with one dispiriting loss following another.

But did the Rangers doubt they could rebound and save their season? Did they still believe making the Stanley Cup Playoffs was possible?

“I think the way things were going, it’s hard for doubt not to creep into your mind,” defenseman Ryan Lindgren said Wednesday. “I think as a group, we knew that we had a lot better and if we were able to play that way then we’d be able to get out of it. You guys all saw it, it was tough for us for a while. We knew we had the team that was able to get out of it and that’s what we’ve shown lately.”

The Rangers these days have the look of a confident team pointed in the right direction. They’re 7-1-3 in the New Year and take a nine-game point streak (6-0-3) into their game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

“I think we all knew what we were capable of and that’s why it was so frustrating to be losing those games,” forward Will Cuylle said. “We have the guys in here to be a really good and competitive team, so it was obviously frustrating. I think we knew we would figure it out eventually and just work through it and stick to it.”

Related: Why surging Rangers should move on from J.T. Miller trade interest, upgrade lineup elsewhere

Rangers ‘still have a tremendous amount of work to do’ despite resurgence

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers
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An abysmal run that saw their captain, defenseman Jacob Trouba, traded to the Anaheim Ducks and former No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko shipped to the Seattle Kraken had many thinking it was time for a fire sale just a month ago. Perhaps even general manager Chris Drury had those thoughts.

Funny how quickly confidence can be restored, though — just as quickly as it disappeared.

“It was a long run, and we did some damage there,” coach Peter Laviolette explained. “Now it’s a journey to pushing to be in the playoffs. We still have a tremendous amount of work to do. There’s a lot of good hockey that we still need to play in order to keep going. There’s so many teams that are in that mix, it makes it hard to gain points and get back out of that hole that we dug.”

The race for at least a wild-card spot is about as tight as it could get. There are eight teams in the Eastern Conference wild-card race separated by six points. With the Rangers surging back into contention, they sit two points out of the second wild card. They’re still 10 points out of a top-three spot in the division, though they have three games in hand on the New Jersey Devils.

The current wild card standings in the East are as follows:

Columbus Blue Jackets – 53 Pts – WC1
Ottawa Senators – 52 Pts – WC2

Montreal Canadiens – 52 Pts
Boston Bruins – 52 Pts
New York Rangers – 50 Pts
Philadelphia Flyers – 50 Pts
Pittsburgh Penguins – 48 Pts
Detroit Red Wings – 47 Pts
New York Islanders – 45 Pts
Buffalo Sabres – 41 Pts

Getting a win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night was huge for the Rangers, as they’re one of the teams they’re trying to catch. However, they have an equally important clash against the Flyers.

Pretty much every game is a playoff game right now for the Rangers. But that’s a better place to be than where they were the previous two months, when it seemed their season was being flushed away.

The Rangers still have quite a ways to go, and a lot of work to do, if they want to secure a playoff spot. But any doubt that was in the locker room in December has faded away in January.

Dane Walsh is a life-long fan of the New York Rangers. Growing up in the tri-state area, Dane has ... More about Dane Walsh
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