How will the NY Rangers finish off this season? Here are their Top 5 priorities

We're officially at the midway point of the 2021 season for the New York Rangers.

They finished the first half with a bang Wednesday, inspiring hopes for a strong second-half run following a 9-0 trouncing of the Philadelphia Flyers. That was game No. 28 in the shortened 56-game season, with 28 more to go.

The Blueshirts have been on a roller-coaster ride for the last two-plus months, with highs and lows on the ice and plenty of drama off it. The result is a 12-12-4 record, as they sit in sixth place in the loaded East Division and have a lot of work to do if they plan to move into playoff position.

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TAKEAWAYS: Mika Zibanejad's hat trick leads to dominant win

While those odds may be long, this season doesn't necessarily have to lead to the playoffs to be viewed as a net positive. Team president John Davidson has emphasized "the big picture," with development of the league's youngest roster the main objective.

With that in mind, here are five priorities the Rangers should focus on in the second half of the season:

Find consistency

The ups-and-downs throughout the first half have been extreme. Just look at their first two games: After getting throttled by the Islanders on opening night in a 4-0 loss, they came back and hammered their arch-rival two days later with a 5-0 win.

That served as a microcosm for the next 26 games. They've had 10 games in which they've scored four goals or more and six in which they scored one or fewer, including being shutout four times.

The Rangers have beaten every team in their division — including a 2-0 mark against the first-place Capitals — but have lost to every team besides Washington at least once. A few of those losses have been lopsided and lackluster, resulting in questions about the team's effort and direction.

The inconsistency is evident based on their offensive and defensive imbalance. Prior to Wednesday's nine-goal outburst, the Rangers were averaging 2.78 goals per game, a significant drop from last season's 3.33 average (which ranked fifth in the league).

The offensive unpredictability has, at times, negated the strides they've made defensively. After ranking 23rd in goals allowed per game at 3.14 last season, the Rangers have moved up to 11th heading into Thursday's games with a 2.68 average.

The contrast is even starker on special teams. Their power play ranks 27th with a measly 14.6% success rate, while their penalty kill is fourth at 85.9%.

On the nights they've been able to put it all together, meshing their high-end skill with their improved defense, they've shown they can hang with the best teams in the league. But as their record indicates, that hasn't happened often enough. Shaking their never-know-what-you're-gonna-get tendency would be an important sign of growth in these final 28 games.

Get Mika Zibanejad on track

Prior to Wednesday's six-point explosion, Mika Zibanejad's first half looked nothing like his breakout 2019-20 season.

He was the most efficient goal-scorer in the NHL last season, compiling 41 goals in 57 games for a league-best average of 0.72 goals per game. His shooting percentage was through the roof at 19.7%.

That seemed to end the debate about whether he is a true No. 1 center, but a disappointing first half brought it back into question. He scored only three goals through the first 27 games before doubling that total Wednesday, pushing his shooting percentage from 3.9% to 7.5% in one game.

Zibanejad's slow start was initially chalked up to missing much of training camp due to COVID-19 — which he has denied had any lingering effects — but it's been more than two months now of substandard production.

It hasn't a complete disappointment for the 27-year-old, who, like the rest of the team, has been better defensively this season. His 2.21 expected-goals against per 60 minutes is significantly better than last year's 2.94 xGA/60, per Evolving Hockey. Plus, he's been a key contributor to one of the league's best penalty kills. But the Rangers need Zibanejad to rekindle his dynamic offensive play to renew confidence that they should commit to him as their long-term top-line center.

Wednesday's hat trick was a promising development, but if that momentum doesn't carry, general manager Jeff Gorton will be forced to think hard about whether to offer him a contract extension this summer — and whether he needs to go all out to acquire a star center like Jack Eichel.

Unlock scoring potential for Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière

Let's be clear that the No. 2 overall pick from 2019 and the No. 1 overall pick from 2020 are a long ways away from being considered disappointments — or worse, busts.

There is still belief around the league that both Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière will be high-impact players. But they're not there yet, and the best way to propel them to that level in 2021-22 (and beyond) is to finish off this season on a high note. Specifically, with some goals and assists.

It's not hyperbole to say there are reasons to be encouraged. Kakko, in particular, had been a more assertive presence before missing six games due to COVID. He's playing much better defense (1.88 xGA/60 vs. 3.17 last season), skating with more confidence and managing the puck to the tune of a team-high 17 takeaways vs. only two giveaways.

Meanwhile, Lafrenière has shown flashes of his high-end playmaking ability, specifically a point-per-game stretch over six games from Feb. 20 until Mar. 4. He already looks more comfortable than Kakko did at the same point in his rookie season.

Those two have the widest margins of any Rangers' players between actual goals for per 60 and xGF/60, with both posting xGF/60's that are more than 0.5 higher than their GF/60. That tells you they're creating more scoring opportunities than their point totals would indicate (eight for Lafrenière and only four for Kakko), but it also highlights the need for both to be more decisive in those situations and more efficient in finishing off their chances.

Rangers coach David Quinn — who will begin the second half away from the team while in COVID-19 protocol — has often noted the difficulty of getting his prized prospects not to judge themselves solely on points.

But while playing a well-rounded game is important, the key to unlocking their potential — and fueling their confidence — is getting their talent and skill to show up on the scoresheet, which needs to be a priority in these next 28 games.

Iron out goalie issues

It's been seven games and counting without Igor Shesterkin, whose "day-to-day" groin strain has turned into week-to-week.

Prior to the injury, the 25-year-old was solidifying his role as the team's No. 1 goalie. He responded to a slow start by steadily improving in his last 10 starts, posting a very respectable 2.31 goals against average and .921 save percentage so far this season. His 6.05 Goals Saved Above Average ranks ninth in the league, according to Evolving Hockey.

But since being recalled at the beginning of 2020, Shesterkin has missed time with various ailments, including two groin issues now. After a 15-year run in which Henrik Lundqvist rarely came out of the lineup, keeping the rookie healthy and on the ice is the best way for the Rangers to inspire confidence in him as the heir to the throne.

They elected to buyout Lundqvist, in part, to give Shesterkin that opportunity. But the decision was also made because their preference was to keep Alexandar Georgiev as the backup. They believed he could be a capable starter when called upon and provide them with a solid one-two punch, but that hasn't been the case this season.

Georgiev's 26-save shutout Wednesday alleviated some concern for now. But prior to that, he had to be yanked early in two straight meltdown outings and hit a low point with a .887 SV% through his first 12 appearances.

Goaltending was considered a strength entering the season, but the combination of nagging injuries for their No. 1 goalie and inconsistency from their No. 2 are issues that need to be ironed out.

Take off the training wheels

The final point here should be priority No. 1.

The Rangers sit eight points out of a playoff spot entering Friday's games, which could be considered striking distance with half the season left to play. And with positive vibes surrounding the team following Wednesday's big win, the Rangers should be striving to make a push.

But that doesn't mean they should being making short-sighted decisions to chase a long-shot dream. As J.D. said, remember the big picture.

Pushing for every win they can get and trying to make a run will help breed a winning culture. (Similar to what we saw in the second half of 2019-20.) But it needs to be done while positioning themselves for future success.

On a nightly basis, their lineup features 11 or 12 players who are 25 or younger — a number that will likely increase once Vitali Kravtsov joins the team in another week or so. That dismisses the phony narrative that they're unwilling to lean on young players, but it's time to up the ante.

Put Kravtsov in the top nine and give him an extended look with other skilled forwards. Increase ice time for Kakko and Lafrenière and give each a chance on the top power-play unit. Give Filip Chytil some turns centering a top-six line. Give K'Andre Miller more time on special teams. Play other young defensemen (Libor Hájek and Tarmo Reunanen) over bottom-pair vets (Brendan Smith, Jack Johnson and Anthony Bitetto). Consider promoting Morgan Barron. And let Julien Gauthier play through his mistakes.

That's not to say it all needs to happen at once, especially with the forward group being so crowded at the moment. But in the next two months, the Rangers have an opportunity to accelerate the develop their young core by throwing them into the NHL fire.

This evaluation period could provide critical information as they determine the best fit for individual players and how to proceed at each position, so make good use of this time.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.