A Great Day To Be A New York Rangers Fan

The New York Rangers defeated the New York Islanders 4-2 yesterday, tying the season series up at one win a piece. The win extended the Rangers' winning streak to seven, a streak that started on October 31st vs. the San Jose Sharks, and included wins over the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Islanders.

Despite a large number of penalties, and some sloppy hockey, the Rangers-that's right, the New York Rangers-are 10-3-3. No, you are not reading that wrong!

What a fantastic day to be a New York Rangers fan. Let's look at the positives one by one:

-The defense, though depleted, is still playing outstanding hockey. With goals from the likes of Jeff Woywitka and Steve Eminger, the Rangers are still winning despite the injuries.

-Dan Girardi is playing all-star caliber hockey, while Ryan McDonagh is playing like a first-liner, and Michael Del Zotto is showing extreme poise, comfort, and talent at the NHL level.

-Ryan Callahan has eight goals, Brad Richards continues to score clutch goals, and Marian Gaborik is playing some of the best hockey of his New York Rangers career.

More after the jump

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is playing like a king, and when not in net

is playing like a more than capable backup, including a shutout victory.

-Sean Avery returned and scored two goals, while the Rangers are undefeated in the Andre Deveaux era.

-The Rangers have had to deal with slow starts by a few key players, and injuries to Wotjek Wolski, Michael Rupp, Marc Staal, and more, yet the Blueshirts keep on winning.

-Tim Erixon and company in the AHL have not needed to be rushed to the NHL, and are gaining experience in the AHL, as Michael Del Zotto did last season.

-The Rangers are winning. No matter what the negatives are, the Rangers are winning hockey games, and it is just great to see.