The Rolling Road Warrior Rangers.

Thirty two games remain in the NHL regular season. We are one week away from the All Star weekend. Through 50 games the New York Rangers are 28-19-3 with 59 Points and sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have had a great first half despite an all star worthy injured reserve. So far this year, the following players have been injured at one point or another.

• Ryan Callahan- Broken Hand
• Chris Drury- Broken Hand.....TWICE!!
• Marian Gaborik- Knee/Groin
• Vinny Prospal- Knee
• Brandon Dubinsky- Stress Fracture of Tibia 
• Ruslan Fedetenko
• Derek Boogaard 
• Dan Girardi
• Alex Frolov- Torn MCL- SEASON ENDING SURGERY

However, I look at this with a glass half empty mentality. Due to the injuries suffered the Rangers acquired Wotej Wolski from Phoenix in exchange for Michael Roszival and his hefty contract. The Rangers also called up the "Norwegian Hobbit" Mats Zucharello. So far "Zuke" has been clutch for the Rangers. He has scored the winning goal in each shootout he has participated in. He has also clicked with rookie sensation center Derek Stepan. The injuries have allowed call ups and trade acquisitions to shine in the spotlight and they have produced for the Rangers. The Rangers have played great hockey and have been key on the road. They are 2nd in league overall with the 16-9-1 record on the road. The Rangers also have shined due to the stellar play by their goaltending tandem of Henrik Lundqvist and Marty Biron. The tandem is 6th in the league for goals against. The duo has given up only 121 goals this season. Henrik is also tied for first in the league with Tim Thomas with Seven Shutouts. Hank also ranks third in save percentage with .927 and Sixth with a 2.25 GAA. 

Overall the Rangers have exceeded expectations. The Rangers currently have 59 points through 50 games and they need only 14 more victories to pass their season total of 87 points last year. The keys to success for the Rangers in the second half will to play Marty Biron more often once the Rangers have clinched a playoff spot. This will also allow the Rangers to rest some of their key players. Once the Rangers get back all their injured stars at a good and rested 100%, they can be a true force to be reckoned with come playoff time.