The New York Rangers are currently sitting in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Holding on to that position could be better than improving and earning a division spot.
The NHL playoff format is crafted in a way that punishes members of good divisions. Just ask the New York Rangers.
The Rangers are in fourth in the Metropolitan Division as of today and they are tied four fifth league wide.
They have accumulated 77 points through 58 games. The Washington Capitals have 85, the Pittsburgh Penguins have 80, and the Columbus Blue Jackets have 79. The only team with more points than the Rangers in the league is the Minnesota Wild, with 84.
Metropolitan Woes
The New York Rangers have gone 5-4-0 against the Capitals, Blue Jackets, and Penguins this season; not exactly a statistic you want to test in two playoff series. Not to mention, the Rangers have only played the league-leading Capitals twice.
The Rangers are a good team and can handle almost anything thrown at them. In this situation, it’s just about paving the easiest path to the Stanley Cup. The NHL playoffs are a test of endurance, and there is no doubt that back-to-back series against the Capitals or Penguins would take an arm and a leg.
Last season, the Rangers were beaten to elimination by the Penguins in just five games. The series was hardly a fight. Two seasons ago, it took seven games and two overtime bouts to defeat the Capitals; only for the Rangers to fall flat and lose to the Lightning in seven games the following round.
The new playoff format forces the division winners to fight through their divisions. The metropolitan division winners are faced with having to play four incredibly challenging series. Getting out of the Metro is much easier if you take the wild card spot and play in the Atlantic.
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The Atlantic Route
If the standings hold and the Rangers clinch the first wild card spot, they will play the Montreal Canadiens in the first round and the winner of the Senators/Bruins series in the second round. The Rangers currently have seven points on the top team in the Atlantic, the Montreal Canadiens.
The Rangers have looked a lot better against the Atlantic Division this year. The teams don’t have as many weapons and are a much better matchup for the Rangers.
The trade deadline could change that if the Canadiens are buyers. If they bulk up on offense and Carey Price is on his game, the Canadiens could be scary good. Swapping coaches for Claude Julien is definitely frightening too. For now, the Canadiens are certainly a very manageable opponent for the Rangers.
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This Week’s Atlantic Test
The New York Rangers play the Canadiens in Montreal on Tuesday night. This game should be a great gauge of what the Rangers could expect in an opening round series.
The last time the Rangers played Montreal they beat Carey Price four times and lost: certainly not a good sign. It will be a different matchup this time around since the game is in New York, not Montreal.
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Later in the week the Rangers will go to Toronto to play the Maple Leafs. The Leafs are just a point out of the division spot in the Atlantic and they currently hold the second wild card spot. A few weeks back the Rangers played the Leafs twice; winning on the road 5-2 and losing at home 4-2.