Even after the Rangers snapped their four-game losing streak with a win over the Bruins on Thursday night, the hole they have to climb out of to get back into the playoff picture is no joke.
But if the Blushirts were looking for a reason to remain optimistic that their wayward 2024-25 season can turn around, all they have to do is look toward one of their own for hope.
Current goaltender Jonathan Quick had been part of the 2012 Stanley Cup champion Kings squad that used a miraculous final month-and-a-half run to sneak into the playoffs before capturing the Cup as an eighth seed.
“It’s definitely something you can believe in,” defenseman Braden Schneider told The Post after practice Friday. “To know that he’s been there and done that and taken it all the way is massive. I think every guy in this room still believes in what we’re doing and the group that we have.
“For sure, to have a guy that’s been there and done that is a huge motivator as well.”
The Rangers still have more than half the season to go and still could find a way to pull themselves out from the Metro basement, but that is far from an easy task, especially with games against two of the division’s best teams over their next four contests.
Nevertheless, Quick’s experience does lend itself to some hope, considering where the Kings found themselves in 2012.
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Los Angeles had been 10th in the Western Conference and was two spots out of a playoff spot with a month to go.
The Kings managed to go 12–4–3 through the final 19 games of the regular season to make their way into the playoffs, with their stagnant offense finally getting hot while Quick and the defense remained a point of pride for LA.
New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 11,
2012, in Los Angeles. AP
The Rangers are five points back of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference heading into Saturday’s game against the Capitals, and Quick now will play a big role in keeping the Blueshirts afloat as he takes over a bulk of the workload in net with Igor Shesterkin currently on injured reserve.
Quick helped backstop the Rangers to a 2-1 win over Boston with a number of critical saves on Madison Square Garden ice.
“I think when Jonathan goes in the net, there’s a tremendous amount of confidence in how he plays the game, what he’s done for us and what he’s done over the course of his career,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said about the impact Quick has on the team. “He’s a top-end goaltender who has come here and played really well for us. A lot of confidence in him.”
Thursday’s win not only served as a showing for Quick, who made 32 saves and recorded his 399th win of his career, but helped the Blueshirts pull out a “massive” victory.
“It helps the confidence and helps us know that we can win games that way,” Schneider said.
The confidence showed as the Rangers seemed a bit looser at practice Friday after they snapped their four-game skid, and Schneider noted the team has been trying to keep the fun in the game, which had been something Laviolette had discussed late last month to try to help get the Blueshirts back on track.
But the bigger thing Friday for the Rangers’ bench boss was making sure they carried over the momentum from the win over Boston to their game against the Caps on Saturday.
“We got to build off it,” Laviolette said. “It was a win, it’s over, and now we’re headed on the road against Washington.”