The battle continues in New York.
It was a week of uncertainty for the Rangers, with sirens blaring throughout the organization as they lost five straight games.
Each loss seemed like a punch in the gut until the Blueshirts finally fought back with a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the Canadiens on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Since the beginning of the season, this team has been missing something intangible.
But the Rangers' emotion was evident in this long-awaited victory.
They pushed. It was like an on-ice engagement that we had never seen before.
No one questioned the Rangers' efforts in this game, even against an inferior Canadiens team.
But the feel-good victory nearly slipped away when the Rangers took a two-goal lead in the third period.
Kaapo Kaako then capitalized on a fortunate four-minute power play with 2:40 remaining in regulation.
Montreal, which has the second-fewest points in the NHL, suffered a six-game losing streak on Saturday that the Rangers were specifically trying to avoid. That much was clear.
So the Rangers finally clenched their fists and tried their best to save what is currently a very salvageable season.
It is equipped with a newly minted lineup that is once again at full power with the return of Filip Sittil and Chris Kreider. Head coach Peter Laviolette put the kids in the driver's seat and positioned them accordingly.
