There were eight games in the NHL Thursday night and they all didn’t go as you would expect. As a result, there were some changes in the standings, both for the playoffs and for the draft lottery.
The Eastern Division playoff race got a little tighter for the teams at the top, while there weren’t many change for the teams out of a playoff spot. For the Rangers, it was a bad night as they lost ground in the playoff race and are now eight points out of the wild card and third place in the Metropolitan Division.
As far as the Jack Hughes Sweepstakes, the Rangers remain the 13th worst team in the league, but some of the teams below them gained some ground.
WJC Schedule
Probably the best hockey game of the night will be the match between Team USA and Russia at the WJC Tournament. They are the two strongest teams left and the likelihood is that the winner will take the golf medal.  K’Andre Miller and Team USA will have their work cut out for them as Russia is the only undefeated team left and leads all remaining teams in scoring and defense.
Vitali Kravtsov sustained a hand injury in the second period on Wednesday, but according to Russian coaches, he was taken out of the game as a precaution. Kravtsov has two goals and four assists for six points in five games and has been centering the Russian top line.
The other game is between Finland and Switzerland, the giant killers of the tournament. Ranger draftee Nico Gross is on the Swiss team. Here is the schedule:
Friday, January 4 (both games televised on NHL Network)
4pm – United States (K’Andre Miller) vs. Russia (Vitali Kravtsov)
8pm – Finland vs. Switzerland (Nico Gross)
The Playoff Picture
Six of the eight teams in playoff position in the East played on Thursday night. Washington was the only team that lost. There was no change in the standings, but every team except Washington, Pittsburgh and Columbus gained two points on the Rangers.
To make matters worse, the Islanders also won in overtime and are now seven points ahead of the Rangers. The Blueshirts began the evening six points out of the wild card and they are now eight points out since Montreal won. They are in danger of being passed by Carolina, who won, and Florida, who lost.  At any rate, to state the obvious, thee more points between the Rangers and a playoff spot, the harder it will be to make up the gap .
The standings
Atlantic Div. GP  W-L-OTL   PTS  ROW
Tampa       41    32-7-2     66   29
Toronto      40   26-12-2    54   26
Boston      41   23-14-4    50   22
Met Div.     GP   W-L-OTL   PTS  ROW
Washington  39   24-12-3    51   21
Pittsburgh   40   22-12-6    50   21
Columbus    39   23-13-3    49   23
Wild Card    GP    W-L-OTL   PTS ROW
Buffalo      41   22-13-6    50   19
Montreal     41   22-14-5    49   20
Contenders  GP   W-L-OTL   PTS ROW
Islanders    39    22-13-4   48  20
Rangers     39    17-15-7   41   12
Florida      38    17-16-6   40   15
Carolina     39    17-17-5    39   16
New Jersey  38    15-17-7    37   15
Detroit       42    15-20-7    37   13
Philadelphia 40    15-20-5    35   13
Ottawa      41    15-21-5    35   15
Who to root for
Obviously, a Ranger upset of the Avalanche on the road is needed, but there are two other key games worth watching.
Jets @ Penguins -This game will be a test of the Penguins. The Rangers need the teams ahead of them to lose some games. This one would be a good start.
Blue Jackets @ Hurricanes – Columbus is another team that has been winning. A collapse and losing streak by the Blue Jackets (they’ve done it before) would help a lot. Carolina has a lot of their own playoff hopes at stake in this game. Root for the Hurricanes.
With the despair over Wednesday’s loss to Pittsburgh, the lottery look is becoming more and more relevant. If you are concerned about how bad the Rangers can be, read on.