New York Rangers still hanging tough in NHL Power Rankings, playoff odds and more

new york rangers
Jan 15, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) and left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrate win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers may have suffered a tough loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night, but it does not take away an iota from the season they are having.

In The Daily Goal Horn’s latest Power Rankings, it’s becoming clear that the Eastern Conference is dominating. December had four teams in the Western Conference in the Top Ten. This month, it is down to three with the Colorado Avalanche breaking into the Top Five at number three. As for the Blueshirts, they still hold at five one month later.

Let’s dive in.

Daily Goal Horn’s NHL Power Rankings

December’s Top Ten Teams:

  1. Washington Capitals 18-6-7
  2. Vegas Golden Knights 20-11-0
  3. Carolina Hurricanes 21-7-1
  4. Tampa Bay Lightning 19-6-4
  5. New York Rangers 19-7-4
  6. Toronto Maple Leafs 20-8-2
  7. Nashville Predators 19-10-1
  8. Pittsburgh Penguins 17-8-5
  9. Minnesota Wild 19-8-2
  10. Anaheim Ducks 17-9-6

January’s Top Ten Teams:

  1. Florida Panthers 28-8-5 (New)
  2. Pittsburgh Penguins 25-10-5 ⬆️
  3. Colorado Avalanche 27-8-3 (New)
  4. Carolina Hurricanes 27-8-2 ⬇️
  5. New York Rangers 26-11-4 (Even)
  6. Tampa Bay Lightning 27-10-5 ⬇️
  7. St. Louis Blues 24-11-5 (New)
  8. Nashville Predators 25-14-3 ⬇️
  9. Toronto Maple Leafs 24-10-3 ⬇️
  10. Boston Bruins 23-12-2 (New)

New York Rangers: The Blueshirts continue to stun many hockey experts with their resiliency. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, which is really impressive when you realize it includes a 5 game west coast road trip.

Playoff Odds and Power Rankings

New York Rangers power rankings
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Per the website MoneyPuck, the New York Rangers chances of making the playoffs has jumped up since last month from 87.6%. to 92.6%. Some additional odds have them a 5.5% to win the Metro, and a 1.3% chance of winning the Cup.

Taking a look at some of the Power Rankings around the league, the Blueshirts appeared to have climbed on many charts.

Here’s how they’ve moved in rankings from the last time we checked in December to January:

  • NHL.com 8th to 4th
  • The Athletic 8th (same)
  • ESPN 9th to 8th
  • NBCSports 11th to 9th
  • Sportsnet 7th to 4th

The Rangers certainly weren’t expecting to draft first overall in 2020 when Alexis Lafreniere topped the board, and so he walked into a tough situation where Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin occupied the top two spots on left wing. Lafreniere, who has been used on the right wing, hasn’t blown up the scoresheet the way other recent first-overall picks have, but as Lucas Raymond – another 2020 pick – lights up the league and even defenceman Jamie Drysdale scores at a better pace, we do wonder when it will click for Lafreniere. Way too early to get worried about him at age 20, though it’d be great to see him start a scoring run on one of the NHL’s top teams.

Sportsnet

The Rangers have a way of not getting rattled. At least not in the past month. Lose 5-1? Come back next game and win 4-1. Key players fall out of lineup? Depth scoring and better defense fill the void. In a challenging season for everyone, New York is standing out for how it’s weathering the storm(s).

ESPN

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Anthony Scultore is the founder of Forever Blueshirts and has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL... More about Anthony Scultore

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