There’s the eye test, there are the reams of available statistical and analytical information, and, ultimately, there are the standings by which to objectively evaluate a team’s performance.
There is a reason, after all, that they keep score.
And with nine games remaining, including Wednesday’s test at the Garden against the Bruins, the Rangers — despite all of the pockmarks and disappointments, despite dipping into too many valleys — not only don’t measure up all that badly, they are hardly about to apologize for a season in which they are seventh-overall in the NHL.
“You know, for a team to be able to have a season like we did last year or maybe like Washington is having this year, it takes a lot out of you and your group,”
Henrik Lundqvist told The Post following Tuesday’s practice. “It’s not easy.
“Of course, there are high expectations for this team. We accept that. We have those same expectations. We haven’t played as consistently well as we would have liked. We know that.
“But you look at the standings and we have 90 points. Then you look at other teams, and you see Chicago with 90, or 91. You see L.A. with 90, or 93. Florida, having such a good year, with [89].
“It’s tough. It’s a tough league. It’s not easy to go all year and get 115 points. We have a good group here.”
The Rangers are the only team in the NHL to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs each of the last four years. Winning eight rounds while playing 76 playoff games in going to late May (or mid-June) each of the last four springs has exacted some sort of a toll.
After all of these games, after winning so many important ones but losing the most important of every tournament as well, you wonder if the Rangers subconsciously have hit the autopilot button now and then over the course of this marathon and whether that has been a contributing factor to so much of the inconsistency.
Consider over the last four weeks, victories at St. Louis, Dallas, Washington and Anaheim offset by entirely unsatisfactory performances at home against the Islanders and Penguins and at San Jose.
You also wonder after all these games and coming to the close of this six-month trek in which they never could win any championship of real value (division title, conference title, Presidents’ Trophy? Been there, won all of that over the last two years), you wonder whether the Rangers believe they simply can turn it on when absolutely necessary.
“I think this team is ready for another challenge,” said Derick Brassard. “We’re trying to get the check mark next to our name [marking playoff qualification] and go into the playoffs feeling good about ourselves.
Derick BrassardGetty Images“I don’t think it matters who we play when we get there. We know it’s going be against somebody really good,” said No. 16, whose work against Florida in Monday’s 4-2 victory was decidedly better than his performance during last week’s three-game California trip. “But once the playoffs start, we’re going to be fine.”
There is still the matter of sealing the deal. In order to do that, the Rangers will need consistently to repeat their work of the first 36 minutes against the Panthers, through which they controlled play and the pace through wise decision-making, alert puck-movement and an elevated compete level. The final 24 minutes were more a scramble than anyone would have liked, but at least they didn’t prove deadly.
The Bruins, who habitually give the Rangers fits with an aggressive forecheck in which they seal off the walls, will present a stern challenge. It’s one thing to do it once — or maybe about half the time, as the Blueshirts have done in going 5-4-2 since the trade deadline — and it is another to do it every night.
“From the conversations in our group, this is an important week for us,” Derek Stepan said. “We need to establish our game. We have to turn it on now.
“We have to be at our best going into the playoffs. We can’t turn it on like a light switch when we get there.”
After this one against the 86-point Bruins, contending for first in the Atlantic Division, there’s a game at Montreal on Saturday. That’s followed by a showdown at the Garden the following night against Pittsburgh. There’s another one coming up against the Islanders. The road to the playoffs isn’t easy.
“Let me put it this way about our team,” Lundqvist said. “When we do face a big challenge, we’ve been able to respond.
“That’s how I feel.”
