A team from the East Division stands out to me. The New York Rangers have been playing better now and even though they are in 6th place right now, I think they will contest the Bruins, Flyers, and Penguins for the 3 and 4th playoff spot. There are few noteworthy players in this team.
4 players from this hockey team really catch my eye and are the team leaders; Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad. Kreider has been absolutely sensational this year. He has 2 hat-tricks and is usually found in the blue paint area. He is a person who will find the rebounds, tip in pucks, and redirect the puck if it is shot from the blue line. The Rangers would not get a lot of goals without him. Adam Fox is the Ranger’s best defensemen. He missed some time because he was on the COVID- reserve list but it is a big plus for this whole team to have him back and running. Panarin has been scoring, mostly on the power play in the last few games. He has been taking one timer shots in the Ovechkin spot on the Power Play and has been placing the puck in the back of the net on those types of shots. He was injured but now is back on the ice as well. He is a talented offensive player which this team needs. Lastly, Mika Zibanejad. He is finally getting into his groove and is getting points every game. In that thrashing 9-0 win against Philadelphia, he had a hat trick which included a short-handed goal, an open play goal, and a power play goal as well as 3 assists. He had a total of 6 points in that game and was tremendous. This team has been waiting for him to explode and this is the time where he shines.
All these 4 players operate on the top line for the Rangers and each have a unique skill which makes them such a good combo. They have to continue their recent brightness to get up the standings for their team. Can the New York Rangers change course of their season and bring the postseason to Madison Square Garden?
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