The New York Rangers are moving and grooving more than halfway through the NHL regular season, but they will be going on hiatus for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Talk about pesky timing to say the least.
From February 9 to February 25, the NHL season will be put on hold, and the Rangers will resume with a February 27 showdown at Madison Square Garden vs. the Chicago Blackhawks. Given the Blueshirts' success as of late—including a 27-16-3 record since starting 3-7-0—will the Olympic break hurt or help the Rangers' playoff push?
You can make multiple cases in this situation, but this writer feels that the Olympic break will really benefit the Rangers. This year the Rangers have been successful because the overall body has been better than the sum of its parts.
There have been multiple players playing a vital secondary role, and they deserve a break. While the Rick Nashs, Henrik Lundqvists, Ryan McDonaghs and Mats Zuccarellos will be in Sochi, guys like Cam Talbot, Chris Kreider, Dan Girardi and various others will be resting up for a brutal end of the season.
When the Rangers ...
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Article written by Tom Urtz Jr.
Will Olympic Break Hurt or Help New York Rangers’ Playoff Push?
February 3rd, 2014 by Tom Urtz Jr. Leave a reply »
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