A 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night (Oct. 26) improved the New York Rangers‘ record to 3-0-0 on their five-game road trip through Seattle and Western Canada. More importantly, it improved their overall record to 5-2-0, good for 10 of a possible 14 points, putting the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division’s top spot through seven games of the 2023-24 season.
Head coach Peter Laviolette’s club has played a shutdown defensive style, which has become his bread and butter, limiting the opposition’s chances and getting some timely goaltending. It has not been perfect, and there are a lot of areas in which the Rangers can improve their game, but for a club with a new coach, new systems, and new pieces, this is as good a start as you could hope for.
Jonathan Quick might be the biggest surprise of the early portion of the season, winning each of his first two starts. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has a 0.41 goals-against average (GAA), a .982 save percentage (SV%), and one shutout on the campaign. Igor Shesterkin has also been solid, with numbers still heavily skewed by two tough losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets (Oct. 14) and Nashville Predators (Oct. 19).
Alexis Lafreniere has four goals, Erik Gustafsson has been a revelation on the third pairing, and the Rangers big names have played well, even if they haven’t found the back of the net yet. It has been pleasant so far, and there are three critical statistics from which the Rangers’ success surprisingly stems.
Let’s check them out!
Rangers’ Faceoff Percentage: 53.8%
Yes, you read that heading right. The Rangers have won over 53% of their faceoffs this season. We are talking about a team that has not won 50% of their faceoffs since 2012-13. It has been a pleasant surprise, and assistant coach Michael Peca has done a fantastic job getting the centers to improve upon their win percentages.
Vincent Trocheck has been impressive early on in 2023-24, winning 60% of his faceoffs. Nick Bonino has gone neck and neck with him, winning 59.4% of his draws, which has been crucial to the fourth line, limiting the opposition when they are on the ice.
Mika Zibanejad has also been solid in the dots, winning 52% of his faceoffs, and despite Filip Chytil still being the worst center statistically on the Rangers, he has improved his numbers to over 44%. The Blueshirts currently rank sixth in the NHL in faceoff win percentage, a massive jump from the 19th spot they found themselves in last season.
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There is a lot of season left to be played, but if the Rangers can maintain these faceoff numbers, it will be a nice change of pace for them to possess the puck instead of chasing it as they usually do.
Rangers Have a 51.98 CF% at Five-on-Five
The Rangers currently rank 10th in the NHL, per Natural Stat Trick, in Corsi-for percentage (CF%) with 51.98. Similar to their faceoff numbers, it has been quite some time since they cleared the 50% mark. Last season, the Rangers got off to a great start analytically before falling off about a quarter of the way through the season.
They finished 17th and were on the wrong side of the 50% mark at 49.80%, again failing to control the pace of play. Fast forward to 2023-24, and their new style, ushered in by Laviolette, has forced the Rangers to be on their toes more, thus controlling more of the play.
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Despite a 1-5 record in the preseason, the Rangers controlled the analytics and have carried that into the regular season. The difference is now the results are there, too. It is noticeable how much more in control of a game the Rangers look over their first seven contests this season. Instead of being on their heels and trying to create turnovers to go the other way, they stay structured, controlling the game’s speed with an effective forecheck and possessing the puck.
They have been a better team at five-on-five than they were the previous two years under Gerard Gallant, and without a drop-off in special teams play and goaltending, this group will be a more legitimate threat come postseason time.
There are 75 games still to be played, but the Rangers, analytically, have been fantastic through the first seven.
Rangers Allowing 1.86 Goals Per Game
Through seven games, the Rangers are behind only the Bruins for the fewest goals allowed per game (GA/GP) this season. Allowing just 1.86 GA/GP, the Rangers have effectively shut down their competition. On the season, the Rangers have allowed 13 goals in seven games. In their two losses, the Rangers gave up nine of those 13 goals. Outside of two blips in the matrix, the Blueshirts have been tough as nails to score on.
New York has allowed four goals combined in their five victories this season. In fact, no team has scored more than one goal against them in any of the five victories. Yes, the goaltending has been there, but their defense is getting in the shot lanes and keeping teams to the perimeter.
The 29 shots allowed to the Oilers on Thursday night were the most they have allowed in a game this season. They rank first in the league, allowing just 24.9 shots per game, nearly two shots fewer than the Carolina Hurricanes in second. It has been a group effort and dedication to protecting their net, and it has paid off.
Introducing the 1-3-1 trap this season has allowed the team to limit shots and protect leads, making it hard for the opposition to come from behind against them. They stifle teams in the neutral zone, forcing them to attempt to retrieve the puck rather than carry it in, and thus far, they have done a great job of getting pucks and getting them out.
Is a goals against total that low sustainable? Maybe not. But their 2.63 GA/GP last season ranked fourth, and they should surely improve on that mark this year. The scariest part of the equation is that Shesterkin finally got going against the Calgary Flames in a 3-1 win the other night. If he gets hot, and we know how dominant he can be, this Rangers team will become even more formidable in their own end.
It has been a stellar road trip thus far, erasing a mediocre and inconsistent start to the season. The Rangers’ defensive approach makes them dangerous on the road, and they have proved that, skating to a 4-1-0 road record in five games this season. If they keep this up, it will be hard not to consider them a Stanley Cup contender.