The New York Rangers are one of the top teams in the NHL currently with a record of 11-2-1, which is good for first in the Metropolitan Division. With the team playing extremely well, it’s kind of disappointing that they have an entire week off. Their last game was Sunday, Nov. 12 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and now they don’t play until Saturday, Nov. 18 against the New Jersey Devils.
While it strange for a team in the NHL to get five days off without it being their official bye-week, this break could be a blessing in disguise for the Rangers. While it takes away some momentum they were building, it also allows for their injured players to get time to heal up.
Pro: Time For Injured Players To Heal
Last season, the Rangers did not have to face much injury adversity. So far this season, the injury bug has hit the team hard. Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren have all missed time and will continue to due to their injuries. With Fox, we know he won’t be back until Nov. 29 at the earliest and he still could be out longer than that. With Chytil, it is still unknown what kind of injury he suffered, but it is rumored to be another concussion, and he still hasn’t resumed skating since he suffered the injury on Nov. 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Lindgren is the latest player to sidelined with injury as he took a high and dangerous hit from Sean Kuraly of the Blue Jackets in the Rangers’ last game. He has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and it is unknown when he will return to the lineup.
The player who looks the most ready to return for the next game is Shesterkin, who also hasn’t played since the win over the Hurricanes. He had been dealing with some minor soreness and now, it seems he is ready to go for the game against the Devils. For the other players listed, this break allows them time to heal up and recover from their injuries. It also allows the rest of the team a bit of break and they can also heal up if they have anything that is bothering them.
Con: Team Loses Momentum By Not Playing
The Rangers are on a heater right now and have earned points in their last 10 games with a 9-0-1 record. While this break allows the team to heal up, it also kills the momentum they have been building. Since they won’t be playing, it might impact their game when they return to play. They might not be as sharp and it might take them time to adjust to the game — unfortunately, the Devils are not a team you want to do that with. Even if the Devils are dealing with some injury troubles, they are still a very dangerous team and the Rangers need to be as mentally and physically prepared as possible for the game and this break doesn’t help them in that regard.
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There are also certain players who could be impacted by this time off. One of them is Alexis Lafreniere, who has been playing the best hockey of his Rangers career over the past few games. He is starting to breakout and this break could impact his play when he comes back. This may be an overreaction, but teams and players lose momentum when they don’t play for longer periods of time and five days during a hockey season is a long time to not be playing.
What To Expect When The Rangers Return
With this unofficial bye-week, the Rangers are going to be well rested when they play their next game in New Jersey. While they may be well rested, they might also be sloppy and slow to start the game. As the game goes along, fans can expect the team to start looking better and playing like they have been for the majority of the season. If Shesterkin does play in this game, the same expectations should be had for him. He hasn’t played a game in a few weeks and he will likely be rusty to start. He can’t be expected to play out of his mind his first game back from injury.
This five-day break has come at an odd time for the Rangers. On one hand, it allows their injured players time to heal and up gives the team some rest. On the other hand, the team has been performing so well, and not playing for a long period of time will likely kill the momentum they have built up so far this season. This is why this unofficial bye-week has both its pros and cons for the Rangers.