New York Rangers: 3 back-to-back sets among things to watch for in December
After the New York Rangers started the 2024-25 season off strong in the month of October with a 6-2-1 record, things took a turn for the worse in November. New York struggled to play .500 hockey with a 7-7-0 record, which included a season-high five-game losing streak.
Now, it’s time to flip the calendar to December, when the Rangers hope they can get back on track as a true Stanley Cup contender.
The Rangers are fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 27 points and an overall record of 13-9-1 two months into the season. They sit in the first wild-card spot, but are tied in points with the Philadelphia Flyers, who are currently in the second wild card spot. Above them are the Carolina Hurricanes (33 points), the New Jersey Devils (34 points), and the Washington Capitals, who lead the Metro with 35 points.
With December officially here, the Rangers are looking to turn things around with 13 games slated for the month, six at home, and seven on the road. They just snapped their five-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, but are still a ways from playing at a level that they are satisfied with.
Related: New York Rangers week ahead includes three home games, two vs. division rivals
What to watch for in December for Rangers
As the Rangers season passes the quarter mark, here’s what to watch for in the month of December.
Dec. 2 – First meeting against rival Devils
The Rangers start the month of December with a bang as they take on their Hudson River rival New Jersey Devils for the first of four meetings this season. Though the Rangers have struggled recently, they’ll need to build on the momentum from their win Saturday and put up a strong performance against New Jersey, who is 11-5-0 in its past 16 games.
Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes lead the way for the Devils with 31 and 30 points respectively, and captain Nico Hischier is on fire with 15 goals this season. Now with a steady goaltender in Jacob Markstrom, the Devils have quickly gone from missing the playoffs last season to a true contender in the Eastern Conference.
The Rangers swept the season series 4-0-0 in 2023-24 after the Devils defeated the Blueshirts in seven games in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Dec. 8-15 – Five games in eight days
The first half of December is jam-packed for the Rangers. After playing the Devils on Dec. 2 and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 6, they’ll have a stretch of five games in just eight days, including two back-to-backs.
First, the Rangers will have a back-to-back set against the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 8 and Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 9, both at home. These are two winnable games for the Rangers, which can hopefully get them trending upwards once again.
New York will travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Dec. 11, before returning home for another set of back-to-back games. First, they’ll play the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 14, and will then have to travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues the very next day, Dec. 15. It’ll be a tiring eight days for the Rangers, and how they handle this stretch will be very important.
The Rangers split their only previous back-to-back set so far this season.
Dec. 22-23 – Back-to-back against Metro Division rivals
Right before Christmas, the Rangers will have yet another back-to-back slate, their third of the month and fourth overall this season. This one, however, will carry much more weight as it is against two Metropolitan Division teams that are both currently ahead of the Rangers in the standings.
First, the Rangers will square off against the Carolina Hurricanes for their second meeting of the season, Dec. 22 at MSG. The Rangers dropped the first meeting 4-3 during their five-game losing streak. The very next day New York travels to Newark to take on the Devils for their second meeting of the month and season, before earning four days off for the holiday.
Dec. 28-30 – Rangers close out 2024 in Florida
To wrap up calendar year 2024, the Rangers will spend some time in the Sunshine State, taking on both the Tampa Bay Lightning Dec. 28, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers Dec. 30. The Rangers have yet to face the Lightning this season, but the two teams appear even thus far. Tampa Bay has just one less point than the Rangers, and are fourth in the Atlantic Division.
The Rangers did, however, play the Panthers this season, and it didn’t go how they would have liked. The Rangers lost 3-1 on Oct. 24 in their first test against the defending champions after the Panthers bounced them in the Eastern Conference Final last spring. The Rangers would love to change the narrative against the Panthers in their final game of the calendar year.
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