Pluses: First, Adam Fox should win the Norris Trophy. He had a very good rookie season in 2019-20 and leads NHL defensemen in scoring this season (47 points; five goals, 42 assists in 52 games) with a plus-21 rating. He excels in each end of the ice and plays in all situations. Fox has scored 23 power-play points (two goals, 21 assists), leads New York in average time on ice per game (24:41) and leads their defenseman in power play time on ice per game (3:52) and shorthanded time on ice per game (2:30). He is going to be a very good player in the NHL for a long time.
Second, Mika Zibanejad has bounced back after a slow start to the season. The center had NHL career highs last season with 41 goals and 75 points in 57 games but began this season with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 27 games; that could be due to his battle with COVID-19 prior to the season. In his past 26 games, Zibanejad has scored 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists), including three hat tricks and two six-point games. Zibanejad scored two goals Monday and has four in seven games against Washington this season.
Minuses:Artemi Panarin won't be in the lineup for the Rangers on Wednesday or in their other two remaining games. The forward, who sustained a lower-body injury Monday, had two assists and leads New York with 58 points (17 goals, 41 assists) in 42 games. He was a Hart Trophy finalist last season so it not having him in the lineup will leave a big void.
After making the playoffs last season and being swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the best-of-5 Stanley Cup Qualifiers, I expected the Rangers to be in the mix for the playoffs again this season. But a 1-4-1 start and four wins in their first 14 games was too much to overcome, especially in a shortened 56-game season. New York has lost three straight but prior to that was 8-2-1 in its previous 11 games to make a push before falling short.