5 players who've fueled the Rangers' hot streak

After limping out of the gate with just one win in their first eight games of the season, the New York Rangers have gotten things back on the rails.

The club has strung together six straight wins and victories in eight of its last 10 games. It now sits tied for the final wild-card spot with the New York Islanders, just outside of the playoff picture due to games played.

The Rangers have made up a lot of ground over the last couple weeks, and they can attribute much of that success to these five players:

Pavel Buchnevich

Buchnevich doesn't appear to be familiar with the term "sophomore slump." After the Russian forward put up a commendable 20 points in 41 games last season as a rookie, he's off to a hot start with eight goals and 15 points in 18 games.

The 22-year-old has upped his game over the last couple weeks, tallying seven points during the Rangers' six-game win streak. He's also scored in three straight games, recording five points in that span.

It's also worth noting Buchnevich has tallied at least one shot on goal in every game this season.

Michael Grabner

Last season, Grabner eclipsed the 20-goal mark (27) for the first time in five years, and enjoyed his most productive campaign since tallying 34 goals and 52 points with the Islanders in 2011.

He's been even better so far this season. With eight goals through the first 18 games, Grabner's on pace to set a new career high.

He's contributed plenty during the hot streak, too - tallying points in four straight games, including four goals - and his production has come despite largely playing on the Rangers' bottom two lines.

Mika Zibanejad

Zibanejad continues to thrive in the Big Apple.

After a respectable 37 points in 56 games last season, the 24-year-old is making the best of his second campaign with the Rangers, leading the club with eight goals and 18 points.

Zibanejad has tallied eight points in his last six games, including two three-point outings. And he's done the majority of his heavy lifting on the power play, recording five goals and 10 points with the man advantage, which has played a huge role in New York featuring the league's third-best unit.

Rick Nash

The puck is finally going in for Nash.

After recording just one goal and one point in his first 11 games of the season, Nash has put up five goals and eight points over the last seven contests - including three goals in the last two.

He also leads the Rangers with 65 shots this season, tied for eighth most in the league. Like Buchnevich, he's recorded at least one shot in every game, while averaging over 3.6 per night.

Kevin Shattenkirk

The free-agent signing of Shattenkirk appears to be working like a charm.

He's been as good as advertised so far, tied for second in league-wide scoring among defensemen and sitting second on the team with nine power-play points. Shattenkirk is also riding a seven-game point streak in which he's tallied a total of 10.

Overall, he's given the Rangers something they haven't had in years - elite offense from the back end.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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