The Rangers best player over the last few weeks has been the same player that it has been since the lockout, Henrik Lundqvist.

Yesterday in the Rangers win over Philly, he stopped 36 of 37 shots and has stopped all but five of the shots he has faced in the last three games.

John Tortorella, says that Lundqvist has certainly stepped up his game recently:

“I think he understands where we are as a hockey club right now, some of the things that are going on around it, and I think he’s trying to be a leader,” coach John Tortorella said. “He’s certainly stepped up and made some key saves for us at key times in these last couple wins.”

Read more postgame reaction at Newsday.

…Besides Michal Rozsival, Lundqvist is the longest tenured Ranger right now. Because of that and how much his play reflects the team performance, Lundqvist has taken on a big team leadership role. He meets the media after every game and is both honest and positive about the team.

On Thursday following the Rangers defeat of the Isles, I proclaimed, on twitter, that Lundqvist should be the Rangers Captain. He is so important to the team and has seemingly taken a big leadership role in the locker room, that he should have at least the recognition of an assistant captain.

Other than that, Ryan Callahan is certainly going to be the Rangers Captain following Chris Drury. The way he handles himself and the way he plays, he certainly is the easy choice to follow Drury.