The New York Rangers are on a brutal five-game losing streak. And the Rangers are heading in the wrong direction extremely quickly. Things began on November 21 with a 6-2 loss to the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Eight days later, they dropped their fifth in a row by a 3-1 scoreline against the Philadelphia Flyers in the City of Brotherly Love.
New York’s downward descent has been a stark contrast to how they began the year. The Blueshirts began the year 6-1-1 through their first eight games. And it seemed as if they were picking up where they left off when they won the Presidents Trophy as the best regular season team in 2023-24.
These losses have created a lot of concern within the organization and among fans. New York, on paper, has one of the better rosters in the entire NHL. Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, and Artemi Panarin are good players who make a difference in their own ways. But a continuation of their current form will only spell disaster for the Blueshirts. And it could put a hindrance on their ability to simply make the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the concerns for the Rangers are not unfounded. This is a team heading in the wrong direction, and while they could pull it back, there is reason to be worried. With this in mind, here are two of the biggest reasons for concern as the 2024-25 campaign continues.
Rangers’ power play has gone ghost
The Rangers remain one of the better-scoring teams in the NHL at this time. This is thanks in part to the Rangers’ improved scoring at 5v5 compared to last season. However, one truly concerning trend that has developed on Broadway is the team’s disappearing act with the man advantage.
New York did not receive a power play opportunity against the Flyers on Friday. But they entered the game having gone 0-for-14 in the games previous, according to the New York Post. Their last goal on the power play came back on November 12 against the Winnipeg Jets.
The picture isn’t any prettier when looking beneath the counting stats, either. New York ranks 17th in the NHL in Goals For Percentage on the power play, according to Evolving Hockey. Their Expected Goals For Percentage up a man is 28th in the league. Only the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, and Boston Bruins have a worse power play xGF%.
New York has to do better with the chances they receive on the power play. Scoring at 5v5 is certainly important, but a well-timed power play goal can swing momentum in any given game. Continued power play struggles are unacceptable, especially with a team this skilled.
Rangers’ core is not getting any younger
As mentioned, the Rangers have an incredibly talented team. Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Jacob Trouba are some of the names that make this team as good as they are. It also helps to have one of the best defensemen (Adam Fox) and one of the best goalies (Igor Shesterkin) in the world on the same team.
The struggles the Rangers are experiencing could be forgiven easier if the team was relatively young. However, that’s not the case. Panarin and Kreider are 33, Zibanejad is 31, Trouba is 30, and Shesterkin is 28. Fox is 26 and entering his prime years.
This is not to say that the Rangers don’t have young players. New York has two notable youngsters in Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, in fact. Both are 23 years old. The issue is that neither player is a part of the core of this team. Lafreniere is starting to establish himself, but Kakko has struggled to do the same.
This means that all of the important contributors are hitting the age where decline sets in. It happens to the best players, so a veteran core struggling to maintain elite play is no shock. However, unless someone steps up and takes some pressure off the veterans, the Rangers may find themselves fighting for their playoff lives in 2024-25.
