Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
1. Before Thursday dawned this past week, the New Jersey Devils looked like a potential Stanley Cup candidate. Now the Rangers look like a better one.
2. Superstar Jack Hughes’ freak – and I do mean weird – hand injury figures to torpedo the Garden Staters right out of first place and into the crowded Met Division pack.
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3. Suddenly, the Rangers are faced with a rare opportunity to leapfrog over the Pitchfork Puckchasers and challenge for the Met lead.
4. Not Good News Department. Maven Roundtable super seer Jess Rubenstein reports that the Hartford Wolfpack have lost seven straight – home and away.
5. More Rubenstein: “Dylan Garand has gone from promising goalie to just flat out lost. If the Rangers were to lose either Igor or Quick for any length of time, the Rangers would be in bigtrouble.”
6. Nathan Aspinall, 159th overall pick in 2024, is tenth in OHL scoring after back to back two-goal games for the Flint Firebirds. “He’s a Rangers Prospects best 12-15-27,” adds Jess.
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7. The Rangers certainly do not need Matt Rempe for police work; not with Sam Carrick slugging away. Slingin’ Sam went toe to toe with the NHL’s best fighter, Mathieu Olivier, before M.O. K.O’d Sammy Boy at the end.
The Trick For The Rangers Is To Follow It And Extend The Streak
8. Before getting too ga-ga over the Blueshirts win streak, bear in mind that they’ll finally meet a real team on Tuesday when they visit Vegas to start a three-game road trip.
9. A first for the Maven: Never in my career did I ever hear a putdown like this from a seasoned hockey man who watched the BJ-Blueshirts game: “The linesmen were brutal.”
10. Mike Sullivan has restored the no-whining spirit of two seasons ago. It’s accepted that Chris Kreider and Jake (The Rake) Trouba will do well in Anaheim – and so what!!
