New York Rangers schedule needs a strong February finish before difficult March

Anthony Scultore Updated: Feb 9, 2022

The New York Rangers will return to practice on Friday. That will give them four days to shake off the rust in preparation for their first game against the Boston Bruins after being off for two weeks.

For the remainder of this month, the Blueshirts have six games with four of them at home and two on the road. In addition, two games are against teams below .500 with another opponent just one game over (at this time).

It will be important for the Rangers to close out this month strong because March has 16 games with 9 of them on the road. There are also two scheduled back-to-backs that involve travel.

New York Rangers February Schedule

Here is a look at the Rangers schedule in February:

2/15 vs Boston Bruins (26-15-3) 7 PM ET
2/17 vs Detroit Red Wings (20-21-6) 7 PM ET
2/20 @ Ottawa Senators (16-22-4) 5 PM ET
2/24 vs Washington Capitals (25-14-9) 7 PM ET
2/26 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (28-11-8) 3 PM ET
2/27 vs Vancouver Canucks (21-20-6) 7:30 PM ET

new york rangers schedule — Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

The Rangers certainly have some winnable matchups in the next six against the Red Wings and Senators. As for the Bruins and Capitals, they have both been running hot and cold as of late.

Boston is 5-4-1 and the Capitals are 4-6 in their last 10 games. Even a split there would be good for the Rangers.

The marquee matchup is against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are on an absolute tear for the last few months. Since November 18, the Penguins have gone 23-5-4 which included a 10 game winning streak.

Pittsburgh may be cooling off a bit after going 1-1-3 in their last five. That win came on Tuesday night against the Bruins.

Also Read:
How New York Rangers should approach the NHL Trade Deadline

March will be tough

The Rangers schedule in March is not only road heavy but has big time matchups on tap.

A quick glance shows two games against the rough and tumble St. Louis Blues. Also on the docket are road contests with the Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dallas Stars.

While there are some “easy” matchups in March against the Sabres and Red Wings, it’s only two games. That isn’t enough to offset the tough games previously mentioned.

When you add divisional rival games against the Penguins (2x), Devils (2x), Hurricanes, and Islanders you can see why closing out February strongly will help as the team jockeys for position.