New York Rangers season snapshot

With the NHL pausing the 2019-20 regular season on March 12 due to the concerns surrounding the coronavirus, NHL.com is taking stock of each of the League's 31 teams.
Today, a snapshot of the New York Rangers at the pause:

New York Rangers

Record:37-28-5, 79 points
Playoff position: Two points behind Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets for first wild card into Stanley Cup Playoffs from Eastern Conference
The Rangers' big moves in the offseason gave way to optimism for an acceleration to their rebuild, which was entering its second full season.
They signed forward Artemi Panarin to a seven-year, $81.5 million contract, selected forward Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, and acquired defensemen Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox in separate trades. They also hired John Davidson as their new president.
More Rangers season snapshot coverage: Awards | Fantasy honors | Memorable moments
Davidson, general manager Jeff Gorton and second-year coach David Quinn have spent most of the season trying to manage expectations, particularly because of New York's youth, but the optimism from the offseason has turned into hope for big things in the immediate future.
The Rangers played their way into playoff contention in the six weeks leading up to the pause. They went 14-7-1 from Jan. 31-March 11, including 9-1-0 from Feb. 9-27, and went from 11 points out of a postseason position to within two with a roster that is second youngest in the NHL (26.0 years old) behind the New Jersey Devils (25.8).
New York climbed the standings while dealing with a changing of the guard at goalie. Longtime No. 1 Henrik Lundqvist has turned into the third option in a three-goalie rotation behind rookie Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev.
Shesterkin is 10-2-0 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 12 starts since being recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Jan. 6. He missed six games after sustaining a rib injury in a car accident Feb. 23.
Georgiev leads the Rangers in wins (17), starts (32) and games (34). He has a 3.04 GAA and .910 save percentage.
Lundqvist has started three of New York's 26 games since Jan. 13.

Arguably the biggest reason for the turnaround is center Mika Zibanejad, who leads the NHL with 23 goals and 36 points in 22 games since Jan. 31. Zibanejad has 75 points in 57 games, including 41 goals, fifth most in the NHL.
Panarin has already set NHL career highs with 32 goals, 63 assists and 95 points. He is tied with David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins for third in the NHL in points.
Forward Chris Kreider was having one of the best of his eight NHL seasons, with 45 points (24 goals, 21 assists) in 63 games, before fracturing his foot Feb. 28. The Rangers signed Kreider to a seven-year contract worth $6.5 million annually Feb. 24.
Trouba is averaging a Rangers-high 22:34 of ice time per game. Fox has 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 70 games, putting him in contention for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.
Kakko, who turned 19 on Feb. 13, has 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 66 games and has shown flashes of his potential and the growing pains of being a teenager trying to learn how to play in the NHL.

Breakout player

Tony DeAngelo: In his second full season with the Rangers, he is tied with Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks for fourth among NHL defensemen with 53 points (15 goals, 38 assists) in 68 games after he had 30 (four goals, 26 assists) in 61 games last season. DeAngelo could get a significant raise when he becomes a restricted free agent after the season.

Statement win

Rangers 4, Minnesota Wild 3 (SO), Feb. 13: The Rangers trailed 3-1 going into the third period, but a goal by forward Pavel Buchnevich at 11:51 cut it to 3-2 before Zibanejad tied it 3-3 in a 6-on-5 situation at 18:54. Zibanejad and Panarin scored in the shootout, Georgiev held the Wild off the board, and the Rangers had their first three-game winning streak since Nov. 23-27. They extended it to four the next night, defeating the Blue Jackets 3-1.

Most compelling game

Rangers 6, Washington Capitals 5 (OT), March 5:This was Zibanejad's big night. He scored five goals -- the most in a game in his NHL career and the League high this season -- including 33 seconds into overtime to end New York's three-game losing streak. His first two goals gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead. His third, fourth and fifth each came after the Capitals had tied the game.