High powered Rangers offense fueling strong start at 5v5

The New York Rangers are off to and running, with a 5-0-1 start to the season. In seasons past, these types of runs have been fueled by Igor Shesterkin and the powerplay. While neither weapon has struggled, it’s been the 5v5 Rangers offense that has powered their strong start. While it’s still early, there’s hope that this time around, it appears to be sustainable.

A strong Rangers offense at 5v5 has eluded this team for quite some time. The last few seasons have been the Shesterkin and powerplay show, with the hope the Rangers can tread water at 5v5. Last year’s team had the best chance of proving doubters wrong, but they fizzled out against a better and more well rounded Florida Panthers team.

The Rangers offense currently ranks in the top-ten in the three major possession categories of CF/60 (65.00, 8th), xGF/60 (3.95, 1st), and HDCF/60 (16.36, 2nd). This is a stark contrast to last year’s numbers, which had the Rangers in the middle-ten teams at best. Given Shesterkin in net, high event hockey like this will favor them in the long haul. But some of this is also first month hockey, which tends to slow a bit over the course of a full season.

Their overall percentages of possession aren’t as strong, notably because the defensive play has been subpar, but the Rangers offense has certainly made up for it.

Rangers offense powered by bottom six

The Rangers offense may be getting the goals from all over, but it’s balance in the bottom six that has powered this surge through 6 games. Filip Chytil has proven to be a massive impact on the Rangers offense at 5v5, not just with the way the third line has been performing, but with the attention it takes away from the top-six. Now teams need to defend three lines, not just one.

The fourth line chipping in has been a nice surprise as well. Though it can’t be counted on game-by-game, if they can chip in a goal a week, it’s more than enough for this team. They won’t take premier matchups, but that extra goal a week goes a long way, especially when the trio is actually above water in possession metrics.

The Rangers offense scoring at 5v5 also takes pressure off both the powerplay and Shesterkin needing to be perfect. Shesterkin, for example, had a bad game against Utah and the Rangers still came out with a point. There’s also a strong argument they should have won, if not for a Matt Rempe bias, but I digress.

It’s still early

It’s been a solid start to the season, but the keyword here is start. These offensive numbers likely aren’t sustainable, as that would be close to a record high xGF/60 for a full season. The defensive numbers will climb back to respectability as well, so while we may see a little less offense, the defensive will more than make up for it as the season gets into the dog days of winter.

Injuries, which will happen at some point, may play a role in how successful the Rangers offense remains at 5v5. We saw how quickly it fell apart when Chytil got hurt last season, and that’s still a major risk this season. Adam Fox’s injury played a significant role in their playoff exit last season too. We’ve noted center depth is a concern, so one key injury can derail this strong start.

Unlike in seasons past, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by this type of offensive domination by the Rangers. While the numbers may shift throughout the season, continuing to dominate in this manner bodes well for April, May, and June.