The New York Rangers are among the best teams in the NHL early in the 2024-25 season. The Rangers have their eyes on a Stanley Cup after coming close to the Stanley Cup Final in 2024-25. With a core consisting of Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, and Artemi Panarin, it’s certainly within the realm of possibility.
The early returns have brought positive signs for the Broadway Blueshirts. The Rangers entered play on Friday with a 10-4-1 record through 15 games. New York is in third place, however, as the Metropolitan Division has proven tight at the summit. The New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes are also off to great starts. And it appears the division is in for a three-horse race.
The Rangers have received big-time performances from their top players. However, there have also been some wildcards thrown into the mix for the Blueshirts. Positives and negatives have presented themselves that the team must figure out how to navigate. With this in mind, here is a look at the biggest surprise and disappointment early in 2024-25 for the Rangers.
Rangers found scoring touch at 5v5
The Rangers had issues scoring when playing at 5v5 last season. It was something head coach Peter Laviolette tried to address during the season. Unfortunately, the team just couldn’t score when each side had five skaters on the ice. In fact, they ranked 20th in terms of Goals For Per 60 Minutes at 5v5 last year, according to Evolving Hockey.
In 2024-25, though, New York seems to have figured something out. They are seventh in the NHL in terms of GF/60 through their first 15 games. They are scoring nearly three goals per 60 minutes in the early going. In terms of xGF/60, only the Hurricanes and Washington Capitals have better expected goal-scoring at 5v5.
Failing to score at full strength certainly played a part in New York’s loss in the Eastern Conference Finals. They scored a touch less than two goals per 60 minutes during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In contrast, two of their postseason opponents — the Hurricanes and Florida Panthers — had a higher GF/60 in the postseason.
The Rangers have the talent to win the Stanley Cup. But they have to produce when both teams are at full strength to have a chance. It appears as if the Blueshirts have found their 5v5 scoring touch early in the 2024-25 campaign.
Mika Zibanejad has struggled early on
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Mika Zibanejad has emerged in the past as a star for the Rangers. The best seasons of his career have come on Broadway. And they have come within the last three seasons. However, he is off to an uncharacteristically poor start to the 2024-25 campaign.
On the surface, he is having a fine enough start. He has 12 points through his first 15 games while still playing a top-six role. But he has just three goals to his name at this point. Additionally, he owns a plus/minus of -5 in the early going. He hasn’t finished with a negative plus/minus in a season since the 2018-19 campaign.
The underlying numbers aren’t all that kind to Zibanejad, either. He owns the fourth-lowest Goals For Per 60 Minutes at 5v5 among Rangers forwards, according to Evolving Hockey. Furthermore, he owns the worst Goals For Percentage (34.95) among New York forwards at full strength. He isn’t fairing better defensively as he owns the third-lowest On-Ice Save Percentage at 5v5, as well.
Zibanejad is an incredibly talented hockey player. He has the talent needed to figure things out. His track record certainly helps give him the benefit of the doubt. But if he does not turn things around soon, the Rangers could find themselves in a rough spot.