A Valuable Lesson The Rangers Have Learned

When the Rangers season started against the Florida Panthers, things looked good. Real good. Even though the first two periods didn't go so well, they turned it on in the third when they had to and won the game. But that was about as good as it got for a few weeks. They only won one out of their next seven games and things looked bleak because they couldn't put the puck in the net.

But I think this was all a good lesson for them to learn. Going into the season, all the so-called experts said the Rangers would be a good team but they needed to upgrade their defense if they were going to be considered a real Stanley Cup contender.

It's funny how things work out. Here we are, a quarter of the way through the season, and the Rangers are the stingiest defensive team in the league and Lundqvist has been unbeatable at times. The defense that was supposed to be the weak link not only have been outstanding in their own zone, but excellent in the offensive zone too. Look at what they did last night. The team wins another close game and the defensemen score all four goals for the Rangers, including Jason Strudwick's game winner in overtime.

So when they were struggling to score and playing a lot of 1-0, 2-1 games, they were learning how to win close games. Lundqvist was winning games all on his own and the defense was clamping down when they had to. The entire team developed composure and poise early in the season and I think this is going to pay huge dividends for the team come May and June. If you refer back to teams that dominate the regular season and falter in the playoffs, you will typically see teams that don't know how to win close games. They fold under pressure and make mistakes when they can't afford them. This one one of the reasons why President's Trophy winning teams are hardly a lock to win the Stanley Cup that same year.

We don't know how the season is going to play itself out. But when you look at what the Rangers are turning into, you have to love what you see if you're a Rangers fan. Not only for what they are doing this season, but what they can be in years to come. With youth like Lundqvist (25), Tyutin (24), Giardi (23), Staal (20) already earning their keeps, they also have blue chip prospects like Bobby Sanguinetti and Mike Sauer getting ready to make the team in the next two or three years.

Let's just hope the Rangers can find the same gems for the offense too. With Jagr finally showing his age and Shanahan not having a whole lot left in the tank, we have to hope that the next generation of Rangers scorers won't be too far away.