After entering November with a 4-3-3 record, the Rangers have vaulted near the top of the Eastern Conference by putting together a seven-game winning streak. And, according to coach John Tortorella, all facets of the team have contributed to the team’s recent success.
“We’re playing pretty good team defense, along with some really good goaltending, and I think that’s helped us a little bit to score some goals,” Tortorella said after practice yesterday. “We’ve won games in different ways, and I think the mindset of the team is to continue to get better.”
The Rangers will get a chance to rest and regroup over the next week, with only tomorrow night’s game in Montreal in between Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Islanders and Wednesday’s game against the Panthers in Florida.
That window will allow the Rangers to get in some extra work in practice and some extra rest away from the ice after a hectic first few weeks of the season.
“[The break] lets you take care of a few things that you might have been battling,” defenseman Michael Sauer said. “It lets you do some strength stuff, some conditioning, and just take care of some things that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.”
But the Rangers are also hoping that the break won’t slow the momentum they have created in building their longest winning streak in over two years.
“We want to win as many games as we can,” center Brian Boyle said. “It’s a good feeling right now, but it’s still November. We just have to keep getting better. To keep winning throughout the year, we just have to keep getting better.’’
* One notable absence from yesterday’s practice was star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. But Tortorella said he decided to take advantage of the break in the Rangers’ schedule to give Lundqvist an extra day’s rest. He’s expected to be on the ice for today’s practice.
Tortorella also was pessimistic about defenseman Anton Stralman making his debut anytime soon.
“He’s still a ways [away],” Tortorella said of Stralman, who signed with the Rangers on Nov. 5. “I still think there’s some work to do there. I don’t know what the lineup will be in Montreal, but I still think we have a number of things to accomplish with him.”