It’s no secret who the MVP and backbone of the Rangers is, and he wears No. 30. But the player who has contributed the most offensively in Rangers victories isn’t who you might think.
Derek Stepan hadn’t scored in 10 games before his sixth goal of the season Sunday cut the Rangers’ deficit to 2-1 in a game they eventually won in a shootout, 4-3 against the Flames. But in the 16 Rangers victories this season, Stepan has 18 points, including all of his six goals, and a plus-13 rating. In the 18 Rangers losses, he has four assists and a minus-14 rating. But Stepan didn’t want to take all — or any — of the credit.
“I just think as a group when we are all going, I think if you look at everyone else’s stats I’m sure everyone else has good stats in the wins as well,” Stepan said after practice Tuesday.
The numbers disagree with Stepan’s assessment. In wins, Brad Richards has five goals while in losses he has four. Captain Ryan Callahan, on injured reserve (knee), has seven of his 13 points in losses.
“I think it’s a team effort when you look at stats like that. If you look at every guy on the team, they’re going to have more points in the wins than losses,” Stepan said.
Head coach Alain Vigneault said Stepan has been one of the Rangers’ most consistent players.
“I’m trying to find lines or duos that have some chemistry. In my opinion, we have one that seems to have a little bit of chemistry, and that’s [Chris Kreider] and [Stepan]. I feel when players play together and you don’t mix and match, there’s more of a sense of responsibility and a sense of trust between teammates.”
Stepan had the game-winning goal on Nov. 6 when the Rangers blasted the Penguins — Wednesday night’s opponent — 5-1 at the Garden. Despite a rash of injuries including four defensemen as well as an ailing Evgeni Malkin, who may miss the game with a leg injury, the Penguins still sit comfortably atop the Metropolitan Division and have won nine of 10.
“They are a skilled hockey team, but we just have to make sure to do the things are going to make our team successful,” Stepan said. “Manage the puck and make sure that we are sharp.
Pittsburgh has the No. 1 power play in the league (26.5 percent) and the No. 2 penalty kill (87.4 percent), and has kept winning despite having eight players on injured reserve.
“Even though they are missing some key personnel, some other players are finding a way to do more and the kids they are calling up obviously have a lot of potential,” Vigneault said.
The Rangers are currently on the outside of the playoff bubble looking in, but with 48 games to go, there’s enough time to turn things around.
“We’re not in the spot that we want to be,” Stepan said, “but at the same time, we’re in a position here that if we just focus and play one game at a time, we can climb ourselves back into this.”