New York Rangers Face Critical Two-Week Stretch

It seems like an eternity since the New York Rangers played a game, but a long layoff finally ends Saturday night when they face the Detroit Red Wings. It is also a night that commences the most critical stretch of the Rangers’ season up to this point.

The Rangers are hanging tough in the Eastern Conference despite an 11-9-4 record, but still face many issues. Their inconsistency has been mind-boggling at times, and we just don’t know which Rangers team will show up on a game-to-game basis. The “it’s still early” excuse is no longer valid, especially with four of the next five games they play coming against top-10 teams, point-wise, in the NHL so far this season. If the Rangers cannot compete with these teams, their issues not only become more magnified, but it will call into question their chances of a Stanley Cup going forward.

Following their game against Detroit, they return home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday. Although the Rangers have played the Penguins very well so far this season, Pittsburgh is still a team capable of outclassing and thoroughly outplaying any NHL team on a given night. Then, following another long layoff, the Rangers travel to western Canada, where they will face the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Canucks, a reeling Edmonton Oilers team that embarrassed the Rangers at Madison Square Garden in November and the upstart, scrappy Calgary Flames.

If the Rangers truly want to prove they belong among the elite, they need to obtain at least seven points during this stretch. At this point of the season, they have zero excuses. Their lineup is fully healthy, but they need their top players, such as Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan McDonagh, to play at the elite level both are expected to play at on a nightly basis.

Yes, it is only December, but if the Rangers want to be among the best, now is the time to prove it. A successful run will prove they belong, but a poor showing by the Rangers on this stretch may mean big changes are necessary.

It is still too early to panic, but if the Rangers can’t prove they can hang with the big boys, it may be time to start looking for that panic button.

Matt Stillwell is a New York Rangers contributor for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattNYR12!