Rangers Nearing Double-Digit Point Streak

The New York Rangers continued their resurgence and extended their point streak in their most recent game.

Jan 21, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Will Borgen (17) and Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) collide along the boards during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images / Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers' resurgence continued with a statement victory over the Ottawa Senators. Facing a team ahead of them in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, the Rangers stymied the Senators to earn a 5-0 victory.

The latest win for the Rangers continued their second half ascension and earned the team at least a point in their ninth straight contest. The team's head coach Peter Laviolette applauded the team's defensive efforts recently. Speaking after the game, he stated that it's been consistent during this turnaround.

"It was really good, but it's been fairly consistent," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "I thought tonight we were real sharp defensively out of the gate in the first period, able to get a lead. Even through some things that weren't going our way we were still able to stay focused and continued to play pretty solid defense."

Of course, strong defense is magnified when your goaltender is your best player. That's exactly what the Rangers are getting from starter Igor Shesterkin. He made 20 saves against the Senators to earn his second straight shutout. The star goalie hasn't allowed a goal in 164:03 of game-time, and is just two minutes shy of his previous career best shutout streak.

Shesterkin has been perfect in his last two starts, but he's been building up to this improvement. His season was a slow drag after he signed his massive extension and he was frequently giving up four or more goals per game. His last 10 to 15 starts have been a significant change, however, with those messy starts becoming less frequent in favor of quality ones.

This nine-game point streak has saved the season for the Rangers. After they went through a stretch of losing 15 of 19 games before the new year, this team has managed to make up a portion of those points and it them within striking distance of a playoff spot.

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