New York Rangers: Playoffs hopes live on…lottery hopes suffer
The second bye week is almost over so it was still a very light schedule in the NHL. Only three games on Thursday, two involving lottery teams. The marquee match-up was the New York Rangers over the Devils, though the streaking Philadelphia Flyers were also in action.
With the win, the Rangers move back to within eight points of a playoff birth with 51 points to the Blue Jackets in the last wild card slot with 59. . They are still in the playoff hunt, though it is important to remember that they are still eight points away from being the worst team in the league.
The Lottery Look
The Rangers beat the Devil and leapfrogged Arizona and Anaheim and are now the 12th worst team in the NHL. Not good for lottery hopes.
The Flyers won their sixth in a row, beating Boston in overtime. The win kept them on pace with the Rangers thought they re still one point behind the Blueshirts. . Philadelphia passed Florida, Edmonton and St. Louis in the standings and are now ninth from the worst in the league. It’s amazing what a six game winning streak will do for your lottery hopes.
The standings (Worst is first)
Teams GP W-L-OTL PTS ROW
1. Ottawa 50 19-26-5 43 19
2. Chicago 51 17-24-10 44 17
3. Los Angeles 50 20-26-4 44 19
4. Detroit 51 19-25-7 45 17
5. New Jersey 50 19-24-7 45 18
6. Florida 47 20-20-8 48 18
7. Edmonton 50 23-24-3 49 21
8. St. Louis 49 22-22-5 49 22
9. Philadelphia 51 22-23-6 50 20
10. Arizona 50 23-23-4 50 21
11. Anaheim 51 21-21-9 51 18
12. Rangers 50 22-21-7 51 17
13. Vancouver 51 23-22-6 52 22
14. Carolina 50 24-20-6 54 23
15. Buffalo 50 25-19-6 56 22
Who to root for
NHL action heats up on Friday as a number of teams come off their bye weeks, including four of the teams below the Rangers in the standings.
Blackhawks @ Sabres – Chicago has 44 points and the Rangers have 51. Enough said. Go Hawks!
Predators @ Panthers – Florida has slipped three points behind New York. The Panthers need a win to get back into the swing of things.
Senators @ Penguins – The worst team in the league is playing a team that is going through a rough patch. The Senators have only 43 points and need to get some points to get closer to the Rangers.
Maple Leafs @ Red Wings – Detroit trails the Rangers by six points. Root for them to beat their old coach.
Golden Knights @ Hurricanes – With their win, the Rangers are only three points behind the Hurricanes. Carolina needs points to widen that gap.
Next. What the Jake Muzzin trade means. dark
The Rangers have a tough match-up on Saturday vs. Tampa. It will be the busiest night in weeks in the NHL with 13 games. The play of Lundqvist, Zibanejad and Zuccarello is keeping the Rangers’ faint playoff hopes alive.