The Rangers Are Riding High After A Surprising Turnaround

A long time ago the Rangers were lost in the NHL Forest and now they are out of the woods. (That is, for the next 24 hours.)

Yeah, that solemn 4-15-0 Nov-December charade had the MSG chameleon sextet looking deader than the Montreal Maroons. But that was long ago.

As The Maven predicted before last night's 5-3 win in Utah, the game in Salt Lake City would be a litmus test following the somewhat – but not very – disappointing OT loss in Denver.

"They had to come back with a win in Salt Lake," says The Old Scout, "because it not only put them over the .500 mark (21-20-3) but now they come home with a solid (2-0-1) road record."

The positive momentum is vital at this point for two reasons. Tomorrow night the very surprising Columbus Blue Jackets visit The Garden, followed by Sunday night's bout in Montreal.

We're talking about a pair of four-pointers against surprisingly competent clubs which are impressing just about everyone.

Meanwhile in Salt Lake, coach Peter Laviolette found some reawakening performers.

How about supposedly sulking Chris Kreider coming up with the third period winning goal; not to mention Reilly Smith making his acquisition look good with the 3-3 tying goal.

"They were fighting for the win," says Pistol Pete. "They showed a lot of character and heart."

Speaking of character and heart, that's precisely what this Dean Evason-coached Blue Jackets have demonstrated.

"They appear to at least be partly motivated by a 'Winning This Season For Johnny Gaudreau's Memory,'" adds The Old Scout.

Lavvy figures to start Shesty at home, after a not-so-reassuring performance against the Hockey Club of Utah. (And that, despite the victory.)

"Igor showed terrible footwork in giving up two goals in the first period," says Jee Rubenstein, The Maven's superscout. "But in this case it was better to be lucky than good."

Figure Jonathan Quick will face the Habs on Sunday. Speaking of surprises, Montreal's storied sextet had been picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division by the Hockey News Yearbook.

Credit Marty St. Louis insightful coaching for the Habs' surge.

Getting back to the Rangers, it wasn't that long ago that broadcaster Sam Rosen lamented, "Boy, so many of these players have gone dry."

Now they're high, not dry, but we'll see what the BJ's and Habs do about it over the weekend. Should be fun!