{"id":6306,"date":"2017-02-07T17:23:22","date_gmt":"2017-02-07T22:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=6306"},"modified":"2017-02-08T14:02:30","modified_gmt":"2017-02-08T19:02:30","slug":"keys-new-york-rangers-playoff-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/02\/07\/keys-new-york-rangers-playoff-push\/","title":{"rendered":"Keys To New York Rangers Playoff Push"},"content":{"rendered":"

There were a lot of questions and concerns surrounding the New York Rangers heading into the 2016-17 NHL season. How will the blue line hold up this year? Will newcomers such as Michael Grabner<\/a><\/strong>, Jimmy Vesey<\/a><\/strong> and Mika Zibanejad<\/a><\/strong> have an impact? And above all- will this team make the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet again? Through the Rangers first 52 games played this season, some of those questions have been answered. But the big one still remains: will – and can – a New York Rangers playoff spot be secured\u00a0this season?<\/p>\n

Keys To New York Rangers Playoff Push<\/h2>\n

Offensive Consistency<\/h3>\n

The Rangers had an explosive start to the season, mainly seeing the results of new players\u00a0in their offensive play. The Rangers rank second in the league in goals scored per game at 3.37. Contributions from veterans such as Derek Stepan<\/a><\/strong>, Mats Zuccarello<\/a><\/strong>, as well as from Grabner, Vesey, and Zibanejad have all helped the Rangers to establish themselves as an offensive force. And the performances of Kevin Hayes<\/a> <\/strong>and Chris Kreider<\/a> <\/strong>cannot go unnoticed as well.<\/p>\n