Defense Wins
Forgive me if I’m wrong here, but the last time the New York Rangers looked this complete at both ends of the ice is probably back in 1994. The New York Rangers made the 2001-2002 Eastern Conference Champions look more like an expansion team. For the first time in a long time, the Rangers actually looked like a team on the ice, and not just bunch of individuals looking to steal a paycheck, or catch a free ride on Broadway.
Bobby Holik, who was brought in here for his 2-way style of play and to take pressure off of Eric Lindros, had a quiet, but solid game playing good defense and winning some key face-offs in his own zone. Darius Kasparaitis, another free agent brought in here during the off-season, hit everything that came his way, and also played great defense with Vladimir Malakhov.