New York Rangers: Lottery Look/Playoff Picture for Tuesday, January 8
By Steve Paulus
Not much changed tonight for the New York Rangers and both their push to a better lottery position and their diminishing playoff hopes.
We are providing the Lottery Look first since the push for a better lottery slot is closer for the New York Rangers than a playoff spot. However, the playoffs are still within reach so we will continue to provide the playoff standings, but after the lottery standings.
The Rangers end their three game road trip with a tough match-up with the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas has been hot, winning six in a row and rising to second place overall in the West. Beating Vegas will be a challenge for New York. Let’s see how they handle it. .
The loss to Arizona really affected the Rangers’ fate according the “The Athletic” website playoff predictor. They now have a 1% chance of making the playoffs and are destined to finish fourth worst in the league. That is a 2% drop and two slots in the standings based on the one loss. So, if you believe their formula, the Lottery Look is even more relevant.
The Lottery Look
Four teams below the Rangers in the standings were in action on Monday night. Two played each other so it was inevitable that at least one team would gain some ground on the Rangers. That team ended up being the St. Louis Blues who beat the Flyers.
The Blues were the only lottery rival that won and they moved up two slots from 3rd worst to 4th with 38 points, only three below the Rangers.
The Flyers, Blackhawks and Kings all lost so they remained with the same number of points separating them from New York.
Minnesota started the evening tied with the Rangers in points, but beat the Canadiens 1-0 and moved two points ahead with a game in hand on the Rangers.
So it was an uneventful night for the lottery look with not much movement.
The standings (worst is first)
Teams GP W-L-OTL PTS ROW
1. Ottawa 43 15-23-5 35 15
2. Philadelphia 41 15-21-6 36 13
3. Los Angeles 44 17-24-3 37 16
4. St Louis 40 17-19-4 38 17
5. Chicago 45 16-22-7 39 16
6. Arizona 42 18-21-3 39 16
7. Detroit 44 16-21-7 39 14
8. New Jersey 40 16-18-7 39 15
9. Rangers 41 17-17-7 41 12
10. Florida 39 17-16-7 41 15
11. Edmonton 42 20-19-3 43 19
12. Minnesota 40 20-17-3 43 20
13. Carolina 41 19-17-5 43 18
14. Vancouver 45 20-21-4 44 19
Who to root for
As quiet as Monday night was, Tuesday is very busy. It’s a big slate of eight games between the haves and the have-nots. Needless to say, Rangers fans should be rooting for the have-nots.
Devils @ Sabres – New Jersey visits the struggling Sabres. A Devils win helps the Rangers lottery aspirations AND their playoff hopes.
Flyers @ Capitals – Philadelphia has been playing very badly with only two wins in their last ten. It look like they are going the “lose for Hughes” route. Maybe they can upset the Capitals.
Stars @ Blues – The Blues beat the Flyers and moved to with three points of the Rangers. A win over Dallas could bring them even closer.
Canadiens @ Red Wings- The Red Wings are two points behind the Rangers, beating Montreal helps the playoff push and the lottery aspirations.
Hurricanes @ Islanders – This game is between two of the hottest teams in the Metropolitan Division. Carolina and the Isles are both ahead of the Rangers in the standings. Carolina is closer so root for the Islanders to beat them.
Panthers @ Penguins – Florida moved ahead of the Rangers after the Arizona game, though they are tied in points. So root for the Panthers..
Oilers @ Sharks – Edmonton has 41 points, just like the Rangers. A win over the Sharks keeps them with a better record than New York.
Wild @ Bruins – Minnesota only has two more points than the Rangers. It would be good to get some wiggle room for the Blueshirts. A Bruins loss helps the Rangers’ playoff hopes too. So root for the Wild.
That’s it for the lottery picture. Playoff hopes still exist so time to update the playoff standings.