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New York Rangers Playoff Picture/Lottery Look for Saturday, December 29

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: The New York Rangers shake hands with the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Lighting defeated the Ranges by a score of 2-0 in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: The New York Rangers shake hands with the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Lighting defeated the Ranges by a score of 2-0 in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 29, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 23: Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins shakes hands with Antti Raanta #32 of the New York Rangers after a 6-3 win to clinch the series in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on April 23, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 23: Patric Hornqvist #72 of the Pittsburgh Penguins shakes hands with Antti Raanta #32 of the New York Rangers after a 6-3 win to clinch the series in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Consol Energy Center on April 23, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images) /

It’s time for another look at how NHL action affected the New York Rangers drive to the playoffs (for the optimists) or their position in the Jack Hughes sweepstakes (for the pessimists).

Friday was a quiet night with only three games  in the NHL, all involving teams from the East.  There were no upsets as all three of the favorites (Toronto, Montreal and the Islanders) won their respective games.  Here’s how the results affect the Rangers bid for a playoff spot.

The Playoff Picture

The only change in the standings was that Montreal leapfrogged over the idle Boston Bruins into the first Eastern Conference wild card spot.  The change means the Rangers fell one more point out of a playoff spot as they are seven points behind the Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot. Boston holds all of the tiebreakers.

The Rangers remain seven points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division and again, the Penguins own all of the tiebreakers.

In “The Athletic’s” daily projection of playoff potential, they have the Rangers with a 6% chance of making the post-season. You don’t want to know the odds of winning the Cup (0.02%).   Here are the standings:

The standings

Atlantic Div.  GP    W-L-OTL      PTS    ROW
Tampa             38      29-7-2         60      26
Toronto           38     26-10-2       54       26
Buffalo            38     21-12-5       47      18

Met Div.         GP      W-L-OTL     PTS   ROW
Washington   36      23-10-3       49     20
Columbus       38      22-13-3       47     22
Pittsburgh      37      19-12-6       44     18

Wild Card       GP       W-L-OTL      PTS  ROW
Montreal         38      20-13-5        45     18
Boston             38      20-14-4        44    19

Contenders   GP      W-L-OTL      PTS  ROW
Islanders        36       19-13-4      42     17
Rangers         36        15-14-7      37     10
Florida            36        15-15-6      36     14
Detroit            39       15-18-6       36     13
Carolina          36       15-16-5       35     14
Philadelphia  36       15-16-5       34     13
Ottawa           38       15-19-4       34     15
New Jersey    36       13-16-7       33     13

Who to root for:
After a really quiet night it is as busy as the NHL gets, with 15 games.  There could be some major playoff consequences for the Blueshirts.

Rangers @ Nashville – No doubt about this one…the Rangers need to deal the Predators their sixth loss in a row.  Nashville is slumping so it is a good time for the Blueshirts to win a road game in regulation.

Hurricanes @ Devils – The Canes are only two points behind the Rangers…the Devils need to win this one.

Bruins @ Sabres – This Atlantic Division grudge match has consequences for New York.  Already ten points behind the Sabres, Ranger fans need to root for Buffalo to topple  Boston so the Rangers can narrow that wild card gap.  A Ranger win and a Boston loss and the difference will be five points and the Blueshirts have two games in hand.

Islanders @ Maple Leafs – John Tavares gets to play his old team for the first time.  Ranger fans should hope he is fired up enough to get the win for Toronto.  The Rangers have to get past the Islanders to make the playoffs.

Capitals @ Senators – Washington is out of reach, but Ottawa is only three points behind the Rangers, so root for a road win for the Capitals.

Canadiens @ Lightning – The Habs sit in one of those two wild card spots, eight points ahead of New York.  Tampa should do what they are supposed to and win at home over Montreal.  A Ranger win and a Montreal loss and the difference is six points and the Rangers have two games in hand.

Flyers @ Panthers – This one is a toss up.  Both Florida and Philadelphia are nipping at the Rangers’ heels with the Panthers only one point behind.   A Flyers win and they have the same number of points as the Panthers.  Can both teams lose????

Penguins @ Blues – The Pens are seven points up on the Rangers in third place in the Met.  Ranger fans should be pulling hard for St. Louis to upset. It’s not impossible, the Blues have won two in a row and have already beaten Buffalo, Calgary and Winnipeg this month.

Okay, that’s a look at the games that will have a direct impact on the Rangers’ playoff hopes.  If you are a pessimist and are hoping for a shot at the #1 slot in the Entry Draft, keep reading.  If you don’t want to start considering that option, stop reading.

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