They have two very winnable games this weekend, though with a scheduling glitch, as they are in Columbus tonight and then face Detroit at home. Columbus is better than their record, having been done in by subpar goaltending from both Elvis Merzlinkins and Jet Greaves, tonight's starter. But this is a team that can score, so if the Rangers are sloppy again it may bite them.
Kirill Marchenko looks like a superstar in the making, posting 74 points in his age-24 season last year. Dmitri Voronkov isn't far behind him with 23 goals and 24 assists in his sophomore campaign. And Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson are even younger. The East feels so crowded that it's hard to say if last year's ninth-place finisher is going to muscle its way into the playoffs, but it's easy to talk yourself into the idea that Columbus is on the upswing.