The New York Rangers became the first team to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night. Furthermore, they became the first team to reach 100 points this season. The Blueshirts have had an incredible campaign so far, but they are just getting started. Their sights are now set on bringing a championship home to Broadway.
It's been a long road for the Rangers. Their last championship came in 1994. That season, they took down the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final. Fans remember that playoff campaign for the now infamous guarantee made by Rangers captain Mark Messier during the Eastern Conference Finals.
In 2024, New York feels pressure to take that next step. The Blueshirts have come close in recent memory. You only have to go back to 2022 to find the team on the cusp of making the Stanley Cup Final. This year feels a bit different, though. With that in mind, here are two reasons why the Rangers can win the Stanley Cup in 2024.
Overall consistency
The Rangers have had a great season to this point. But what's remarkable about New York is their sheer consistency. Most teams go through ups and downs in any given season. It happens to the best teams in the league. The Blueshirts have had some dips here and there, but overall, they've been consistently good.
New York had a less-than-ideal month of January, going 5-7-2. In every other month, though, they have remained at least four games above .500. This includes a 9-2-1 run in November and, more recently, a 10-1-0 run in February. Furthermore, their runs have included an 11-game point streak from late October to mid-November. And a 10-game winning streak from late January to late February.
The Rangers also don't string together losses all that much. New York has lost consecutive games just five times this season. Their longest losing streak was four games, from January 6 to January 13. Simply put, the Blueshirts have remained consistent most of the season. That will bode well for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Down but never out
In a way, this reason connects with the first one. The Rangers can consistently win games and do so against some of the best teams in the league. However, what makes them especially dangerous is how they win some of these matchups. New York can certainly win when they strike first, but you cannot count them out if they fall behind.
The Rangers have won 18 games in which they've allowed the first goal. Furthermore, they have won seven games in which they've trailed in the third period. Each of these marks ranks fourth in the league. New York is also 8-2-1 when tied after two periods. In overtime, the team is 10-4-0.
This is incredibly important for playoff hockey. The games get more intense once the tournament begins. Each team will have moments where they are pushed up against the wall. They'll need to dig deep and win games they otherwise would have lost. For the Rangers, this is something they've already shown the ability to do.
Of course, things change in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The best teams in the league can run cold in the very first round. On the other hand, the lowest-seeded teams could go on a heater and make a deep run. Last year's Florida Panthers are proof positive of that.
However, the Rangers are not a streaky team. They are one of the more consistent teams in the league. And they can withstand anything the opposing team throws at them. If New York maintains these traits, they have a very good chance of winning the Stanley Cup in 2024.
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