Rangers, the Thanksgiving Rule and a Tougher Metro

The Rangers beat the Blues 3-1 on Tuesday and are back in third place in the Metropolitan Division. That matters because teams in a playoff spot on U.S. Thanksgiving have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs about 75 percent of the time in the salary cap era. 

Jim Cerny explains why he sees the Rangers as a little better than .500 but not a Cup contender, especially without Igor Shesterkin. He covers how the Devils changed the Metro race by landing Connor Hellebuyck, and why the Rangers still can't win a game after allowing the first goal. He also breaks down Mike Sullivan's decision to move Will Cuylle to center, the young fourth line of Noah Laba, Matt Rempe and Jaroslav Chmelar, and Scott Morrow's return to the lineup. 

Also in this episode: why J.T. Miller is playing well but fits best as a third-line center on a contender, Connor McDavid's pace toward 200 points, Nikita Kucherov's trade request, and the schedule ahead. That means the Flyers on Thursday, then a four-game western trip through Seattle, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Joonas Korpisalo is close to returning, which sets up a goalie question with Dylan Garand. 

Chapters: 0:00 Welcome 0:37 The Thanksgiving rule 1:27 Where the Rangers stand in the Metro 4:15 Carolina and the path to a top-three finish 6:58 How Connor Hellebuyck changes the Devils 9:29 Washington, the Islanders, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia 11:27 No wins after allowing the first goal 15:23 Flyers preview and the must-win case 19:22 Why the Blues win mattered 21:19 Sullivan puts Will Cuylle at center 27:35 The young fourth line 30:07 Scott Morrow 31:54 J.T. Miller: two things can be true 38:00 Connor McDavid and the 200-point question 41:45 Nikita Kucherov's trade request 42:44 The week ahead and the western road trip 45:55 Korpisalo's return and the goalie picture 46:24 Closing thoughts and next week 

Rink Rap is the New York Rangers podcast from Forever Blueshirts. More Rangers coverage: https://www.foreverblueshirts.com Forever Blueshirts on X: https://x.com/4EverBlueshirts Jim Cerny on X: https://x.com/Jim_Cerny

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.