Maybe, maybe, just maybe, the Rangers have created some kind of traction and some sort of a foothold on the season by winning two of their last three games entering Tuesday’s Garden match against Dallas.
It started in Florida on Dec. 30 when the Blueshirts battled back from an almost immediate 2-0 deficit (5:21 of the first) to take the defending Cup champion Panthers down to the wire before finally going down.
That was followed by victories over the Bruins and Blackhawks sandwiched around a loss to the Caps in which the club was too sloppy but engaged throughout the full 60. You can see that it’s been a little bit different. You can see that there’s been more conviction.
And, really, just in time for there is no time to waste. With 43 games to go before Tuesday’s faceoff, the Rangers were four points out of a playoff spot with one game in hand and while that gap sounds readily surmountable, the Blueshirts have to leapfrog six teams in order to secure that second wild-card invitation.
