MONTREAL — The Rangers have a natural one-track attitude ever since they fell two wins short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in three years.
That makes everything about this 4-0-1 start seem inconsequential, both good and bad.
Even though nothing important happens until April, it's easy to get chilly in October.
The Blueshirts will play this regular season in a formal manner, but don't be surprised if emotions are hard to come by. In some ways, the playoff outlook should not only be helpful, but should also be indicative of how the Rangers are currently faring.
But Henrik Lundqvist, the Hall of Fame goaltender and former face of the franchise, always talked about being grateful for the journey and embracing the process over the outcome.
The Rangers would do well to remember that.
After the Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs on Saturday night, Mika Zibanejad said sharply, “Last year can be seen as a failure because we didn't win, but I think we proved ourselves.'' “Probably compared to three years ago when we went to the conference finals and came back. I think there was pressure, but I think it was huge for us to basically have the same lineup as last year. We know what we can do. We obviously know the system better than we did at the beginning of last season.
“Confidence in each other and the players in the lineup, that's big. I think we're working hard. We probably had some chances in the early games where we gave up too many and probably too big chances. I think we've been trying to wipe it out.
“I believe we have a good team here and I think everyone is ready to compete every game. That's important, but I think we did a good job.”
The Rangers have talked matter-of-factly and thoughtfully about their shortcomings. Strengthening his defense has been a focus to start the season, especially since he is responsible for the offensive side of the puck.
They'll say the chances are too big or there's too much noise. That echoes the words of head coach Peter Laviolette, who has been deeply ingrained in this Rangers team from the moment the 59-year-old stepped into the locker room.
Just as players remain calm, Laviolette had the same attitude after each game, regardless of performance, result, or opponent.
The fact that the Rangers are undefeated in regulation through the first five games of the regular season may not be the least surprising thing about the start of the NHL's 2024-25 season. As of Sunday morning, only three other teams can say the same thing: the Flames, Wild and Jets.
They are thoroughly respected around the league.
That means opposing coaches and goaltenders are coming out and insisting on Igor Shesterkin's big salary — just recently, Toronto netminder Anthony Stolarz asked why the 28-year-old Russian was in the NHL. He said he could understand why he could become the highest-paid goaltender in history. 34 save performance against the Maple Leafs.
Artemi Panarin and his league-leading 12 points (tied with the Panthers' Sam Reinhart as of Sunday morning) are the star of every NHL graphic and dominate panel discussions.
And Alexis Lafrenière was selected for Sportsnet's postgame interview in Toronto on Saturday night as the 2020 No. 1 overall pick has undoubtedly been a rising star over the past nine months. Approved.
If the five-game winning streak and six points total don't, the concluding words from No. 13 certainly do.
“Last year we had great results,” Lafniere said. “We are working to make it last longer this year.”
