New York Rangers: Rangers showed their true colors in California – any given night

The New York Rangers are arguably coming off their most successful games of the season. The interesting part is, they were also the young teams hardest.

The New York Rangers continue to blow my mind. This is a team where so many things are happening at once, yet the results are hardly there.

The Rangers played tough opponents well in a loss but, lost some games they could have easily won.

But, in a year where expecting the worst would have been a fair and rational thought, the Rangers have managed to show grit, rarely get blown out, and show that every minute must be earned.

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However, none of the above things mentioned seemed to matter as the team headed out West for a road trip that consisted of four games. All four games were in a different time zone from New York City , and three of them were in the California.

So, it is not unusual, especially for a young team and rookie head coach like the Rangers are and have, to struggle on the road.

The California swing for Eastern Conference teams can often be a burden, games to just get ou of the way.

But, this is why the Rangers are the Rangers. They proved that they don’t let anything stop them from playing to their identity.

This is because on the road trip that I thought was going to be the hardest, they were the most productive they have been all season.

In the last two games in the California swing, a 4-3 then 3-2 win in San Jose and Anaheim respectively, the Rangers accomplished something new during those two games.

They earned their first road win of the season in San Jose, then they earned their first back-to-back wins by winning two nights later in Anaheim.

What is interesting about that game is not that both of them were in California, is not even that they took four points the last two games.

The riveting part is that both of those wins took place after a shootout and both wins ended in similar fashion.

These games proved all season that the Rangers are going to be a roller coaster team. They will constantly shoot themselves in the foot, then will also get shot in the foot too.

It will be a two-way train.

Against the Sharks, it was letting up a goal in the final ten seconds to let up the then game tying goal. Their inability to clear the puck up to that point was concerning.

The Blue Shirts were at fault for not clearing the puck, but also unlucky that the goal didn’t happen just a second later where it wouldn’t have counted.

On Thursday night in Anaheim, it was almost the same the story, just vs a different team.

Once again, the Rangers blew a lead super late in the third period, but once again earned two points in a shootout, where they might be one of the best in the league at.

Shout out to Alexander Georgiev too.

He filled in admirably for Henrik Lundqvist in Anaheim and it really reflected how David Quinn wants his men to step up any given night and be ready to perform.

In California, the Rangers also dropped an odd-timed Sunday afternoon game to the struggling Kings, but the Rangers still aren’t supposed to win that game.

That was a normal, run of the mill loss for them.

Overall, it is hard to look at the California road trip and not be proud of what happened.

For the Rangers, it was not the best hockey. At times, it even seemed a full two points were not meant to be.

But, for the Rangers, they managed to finally get the results they wanted, in the games where things arguably looked the worst.

The Rangers will be just fine this season. At least not any worse than anyone expected, there is room to improve.

But, what is encouraging is the following.

On the days where it felt like the Rangers would have been fine not to get results, but go on a road trip and play well, were the days they ended up finally getting the results they have been on the cusp of getting all season.

The Rangers are far from back, but they are from done too.

This is going to be the most entertaining rebuild of all time because the Rangers can win any given night. And as we learned, in any given time zone too.