Last night, the New York Rangers appeared to have righted the ship, posting a 2-0 shutout road victory over their new personal whipping boys, the Washington Capitals. They were outscored 25 to 9 in their first five games against elite Western Conference opponents, and all questions about their defense and goaltending, or lack thereof, appeared to have been answered.
Now comes the news that their captain and heart and soul, Ryan Callahan, will miss the next 3 to 4 weeks with a broken thumb. He sustained the injury blocking a shot in the final two minutes of their win against Washington.
Callahan underwent offseason shoulder surgery and returned for the second game of the season. He appeared to have felt no ill-effects from the surgery and played like his normal gritty self. His presence on the ice makes the Rangers a better team, and now he will be absent up until at least mid-November.
This also compounds the Rangers' battle with the injury bug so far this season. Star winger Rick Nash suffered a concussion after a cheap shot from San Jose's Brad Stuart for which he was suspended three games. There is still no timetable for his return. Second line winger Carl Hagelin continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery, and won't be available until at least Halloween. The Rangers also dodged a bullet last night, as top-line center Derek Stepan took an accidental elbow to the head from the Caps' Troy Brouwer early in the 3rd period. Fortunately for the Rangers, he returned mid-period.
The brutal part of the Rangers' early season 9 game road trip is over, as they are no longer on the West Coast playing the best teams in the Western Conference. Their next three games before the home opener are against the Devils, Flyers, and Red Wings. The first two games are definitely winnable, while the third is a toss-up. Afterwards, the Rangers face the Canadiens, the Islanders, and the Sabres. While this part of the schedules is not as daunting as the first five games, it also represents a golden opportunity for the Rangers to climb into the top 8 of the Eastern Conference.
This is also a period in which they will have to assert themselves without their best forward and their heart and soul. Henrik Lundqvist appears to have returned to form following last night's shutout. Brad Richards looks better than ever, which is critical to the Rangers' success going forward. Stepan is forging his way back to the top of his game, and Hagelin will be back in two weeks. Several players, however, need to really step up the next few weeks. Derick Brassard has been invisible so far. Ditto Mats Zuccarello. Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi have not yet played up to All-Star form. Derek Dorsett must stay out of the penalty box. If the waiving of Arron Asham and Marty Biron told us anything, it is that no one's job is safe.
For the first few games, the excuse for the Rangers was that they were still adjusting to new coach Alain Vigneault's new system. Now, with their captain out for nearly a month, and no assurances of when Rick Nash will return, the time for excuses is over.
This is the time for the Blueshirts to step up and establish themselves as a legit Eastern Conference contender.
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