Consistently Inconsistent

This post is not a reaction to yet another terrible loss.

There are many problems with this Rangers team. Most have been discussed already. When a team has this many holes, but this level of underachieving talent, they are bound to be streaky. That is the story of the Rangers, a .500 hockey club, that will spin off several wins in a row, then come crashing back down to Earth. Let’s look at these streaks:

• 10/3-10/17: Rangers win seven in a row, are anointed as the best team in the NHL.
• 10/19-10/30: Rangers lose five of six, crash back down to Earth.
• 11/27-12/16: After a month of roughly .500 hockey, Rangers lose eight games (two in OT/SO) out of nine.
• 12/17-1/12: Rangers have their best streak of the season, going 8-1-4 over 13 games, collecting 20 out of a possible 26 points. Rangers jump from out of the playoffs to the #6 seed.
• 1/14-1/27: Rangers drop six of eight, including four shutouts.

Every fan who has watched this team can pick out what went right and what went wrong during these streaks, but it all comes down to consistency. The consistent thing about the Rangers are that they are inconsistent and streaky.

The Rangers have eight games left before the Olympic break. Seven are against teams currently in the playoffs, and all eight are against teams in the playoff race (Tampa Bay is one point behind the Rangers for the #8 seed). If they are going to start another winning streak, they are going to have to do it against the elite.