[EmpireWF]

At the start of this season, nobody knew for sure which teams would do well and which wouldn't. Nevertheless, nobody (at least in New York) thought the Rangers would be as good as they have been through this first half.

The entire make-up of the team is different, young guys are stepping up and perhaps most importantly, Jagr has returned to past glory.

Rookie winger Petr Prucha (25 goals) is hurt but should be back within the next 4-6 weeks. Rookie goalie Henriq Lundqvist is in the running for rookie of the year and is legitimately one of the best goalies in the league this season. Lundqvist has the best save percentage in the league and is third in GAA. Jaromir Jagr leads the NHL in points (83), 2nd in goals (36) and 3rd in assists (47).

Perhaps most surprising of all, this team plays like an actual team. During the Rangers decade of playoff-less hockey, they've played like anything but a cohesive team.

Right now, they lead the Atlantic Division and are just a point behind the Ottawa Senators for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference.

New York Ranger fans haven't been this excited since 1994

[ThePundit]

The best thing that happened to them was the lockout. Due to the salary cap, they're now forced to build a team the right way instead of trading all of their young talent for aging stars. P.S. As an Islander fan, this pisses me off.

[CityofBrotherlyShove]

I do think the Rangers are for real, if only because Jagr isn't going cold anytime soon. Of course, their goalie situation is a bit unknown, as no one knows what Lundqvist can do in the playoffs.

As a diehard Flyers fan, this worries me only slightly, because in my opinion, teams like Ottawa and Carolina pose a much bigger threat.

[CityofBrotherlyShove]

An interesting fact courtesy of John Buccigross on espn.com:

In his last 22 Stanley Cup playoff games, Jagr has four goals.

Yikes.

[EmpireWF]

Rangers + Stanley Cup games = godly feelings. Hell, at this point, Ranger playoff games would be magnificent. It's been way too long for this franchise.

[CityofBrotherlyShove]

Excuse me if I can't feel your pain. You got to see a Cup paraded through your city in 1994. Me? About to turn 27 and still waiting....