After a remarkable 13-0-3 run through the Eastern Conference gauntlet the New York Rangers have now changed their goal from simply making the playoffs to now winning the Atlantic division and Conference. By doing that, the Rangers would ensure home ice advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs and after last year’s six game series loss to Buffalo we know how important home ice can be as the Rangers dropped all three games at HSBC Arena last spring.  

The unique quality of this hot stretch is that Jaromir Jagr is not doing all the heavy lifting as he did the past two seasons but this year they Rangers are getting equal performances from all 20 guys each night. The resurgence of Sean Avery, who is finally healthy, and Brandon Dubinsky continue to make Jagr’s job a lot easier because they can dig pucks out of the corner and work over the defensemen quite well, a trait Jagr has possessed since entering the league.

Henrik Lundqvist seems to be back on his game even though I personally never thought he got off it but his critics love him when he is winning and pounding him when he’s not. Take last Tuesday’s shootout loss to the Islanders for example; thanks to two deflections (one of his defenseman) and a defensive breakdown by none other than Christian Backman, Lundqvist was bashed for giving up “soft” goals. Bottom line is that Lundqvist has not lost in regulation since February 7th against the Ducks. This team winning streak is also still alive because of The King’s performance against the Bruins on Sunday when he stopped 29 shots and then three more in the shootout to ensure another much needed point for the blueshirts.

The Rangers travel down to Florida to visit the Panthers on Friday and the Lightning on Saturday. These are two games and four points that the Rangers need and should be able to get if they have any hopes of finishing atop the rest of the conference this year.