With just 9 games remaining on their schedule, the New York Rangers look all but locked into the first Wild Card slot. Even though they’d be bracketed against the Atlantic Division, they need to beat one Metropolitan Division team to get to the Finals. That team could be the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With 94 points in 73 games, the New York Rangers sit six points back of the Columbus Blue Jackets for third in the powerhouse Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets might be viewed as the underdog among the top three (below the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals), but they’re enjoying the best season in franchise history.
With their season fueled by an incredible 16-game winning streak, a Jack Adams contender in coach John Tortorella, and breakout performances up and down the lineup, the Blue Jackets look like a sneaky good team who might fly under the radar going into the playoffs, despite holding the third-best record in the NHL.
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Measuring Up
The Blue Jackets are good. It’s as simple as that. Beyond their excellent record, the Jackets have given up the second-fewest goals against in the league (164, three more than Washington’s 161). They score a lot, too: 228 goals in 71 games.
Digging a little deeper, the Jackets sit near the top of the league in CF%, controlling 51.24% of shot attempts at 5v5 (score, zone, and venue adjusted). That number is good for 5th in the league—much better than the Rangers’ abysmal 48.49%.
On top of that, the Jackets have been excellent on special teams. Their power play, spearheaded by breakout star Cam Atkinson and offseason acquisition Sam Gagner, is clicking at a 21.5% success rate.
The Rangers’ power play woes, meanwhile, are well-known. Despite some more success on the man advantage in recent games, the Rangers still sit 16th in the league with an 18.9% rate.
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Star Power
What’s the biggest story for Columbus this year? Is it the resurgence of Sergei Bobrovsky, back to his Vezina-winning form? The production of Cam Atkinson? Is it rookie defenseman Zach Werenski?
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The Blue Jackets, in many ways, feel like the Rangers. They’re a team built with speed, talent up and down the lineup, and a former Vezina winner in net. No one player stands out as a superstar, but they’re getting production from all parts of the roster.
Atkinson leads the Jackets in points with 60, with Alexander Wennberg at 54 and Nick Foligno and Brandon Saad just behind with 48 apiece. Meanwhile, the top five Rangers scorers all come in between 47 and 52 points. Both teams boast balance.
X-Factor
In a best-of-seven series against the Rangers, the Blue Jackets will need to force the Rangers onto their heels, taking advantage of the Rangers’ slower defensemen and preventing their lethal transition game from coming into effect.
Former Ranger Brandon Dubinsky is precisely the kind of player to do that. Dubinsky’s hard-hitting, blue-collar game is suited for a strong forecheck, and his speed and tenacity work well in pressuring opposing defensemen into making mistakes.
He also has the skill to make plays happen with the puck on his stick. While his numbers this season are down, he can still come through in the clutch.
For the Rangers, it’s gonna have to be speed, speed, speed. Nobody personifies that more than Michael Grabner.
Grabner has enjoyed success against the Blue Jackets this season, highlighted by his two-goal effort in the Rangers’ come-from-behind victory two months ago.
Leading the Rangers with 27 goals on the year, Grabner is using his speed, active stick, and penchant for sneaking into passing lanes to great effect. He gets plenty of breakaways, and his nose for the net has meshed well with the creativity of J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes.
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If the Rangers do end up crossing over into the Atlantic Division bracket and make it through to the Eastern Conference Final, a potential matchup with the Blue Jackets would likely be a raucous affair, filled with plenty of offense and snarl.