Rangers Need Answers to Questions

Two months into this young NHL season, it is obvious who the weakest division is. 

The Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference has become the joke of the NHL right now. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been the only consistent team so far this season while the Washington Capitals have come on strong of late and may be finding their stride behind captain Alex Ovechkin. 

So who wants that third spot in the Metropolitan Division? The New York Rangers would seem to be the odds on favorite to secure the third spot, but have had trouble putting back to back wins together and have lost three in a row to under achieving teams. 

After starting the season with a treacherous nine game road trip where the Blueshirts went 3-6, and a home opening loss to Montreal, it seemed as if the Rangers were in for a long season with their star goaltender in the final year of his contract. The Rangers struggled to find the back of the net while opponents were peppering the back of theirs. 

Then came a favorable stretch of games where the Rangers would begin to elevate their game to the level everyone expected. A three game winning streak against mediocre to bad teams was halted by the mighty Anaheim Ducks, but the Rangers bounced back with a blowout win against Pittsburgh and two more wins against the basement of the Eastern Conference. 

Winning five out of six helped this team regain their mojo....or at least everyone thought they did. 

Rangers Begin Home-and-Home With Pittsburgh

(@schaetz23) The New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins will begin a crucial home-and-home tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers beat the Jets 4-2 Monday night at MSG, but they do not have time to enjoy the win with the number one team in the conference coming to town.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been red-hot lately, and that might even be an insult to how they're playing. Last night the Penguins 15 game winning streak was ended by the Buffalo Sabres 4-1, their first loss since the month of February. Now the Penguins must try to re-group and begin a new streak, and without their captain Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins have found great success against their division rivals, taking the last seven contests and shutouts in their last two meetings. The Penguins have not lost at Madison Square Garden since November 30, 2011 when the Rangers erupted for four goals in the second period, and held on for a 4-3 victory. Since that game the Penguins are 4-0 and have outscored the Blueshirts 19-6.