No one is going to mistake the New York Rangers for a Stanley Cup contender, but on a nightly basis, the team can exceed it’s combined skill level. On an individual level, the Rangers sorely lack elite talent outside of Henrik Lundqvist, however, the individual talent when combined with intangibles is greater than the sum of its parts.
Case and point the Saturday night affair with the Columbus Blue Jackets. While the Rangers did end up sneaking out of the Midwest with two points, the team probably should not have. New York jumped out in front in the first period on a Mika Zibanejad goal made possible by a beautiful pass from Pavel Buchnevich.