New York Rangers: A big improvement in their lottery race standings
By Steve Paulus
The New York Rangers lost a tough game to Tampa at Madison Square Garden. The loss helped them in an ever tightening lottery race and they now have the ninth worst record in the NHL.
In the race for a playoff spot, the news was mostly good when it comes to the competition. The Blue Jackets continue their slide, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Blues. Toronto beat the Penguins so the Metropolitan Division standings remain tight. The Isles did beat the Kings so they remain the class of the Division. The New York Rangers didn’t gain any ground on Columbus and are still eight points out of the wild card.
The Lottery Look
It was a big night for the lottery competition as the Rangers’ loss combined with several wins by teams below them tightened the standings considerably. For the Rangers’ lottery hopes the good news is that they dropped three slots from 12th worst to ninth worst. They were passed by Philadelphia and are tied in points with St Louis and Arizona who own the tiebreakers. The craziness is that the third worst team in the league is only four points below the 11th worst team.
The Flyers moved ahead of New York, winning their seventh in a row by beating the Oilers in overtime (as requested). They now have 52 points to the Rangers’ 51. With the point for getting to overtime, the Oilers moved within one point of the Blueshirts.
Detroit beat the Senators 2-0 and moved to within two points of the Rangers with 49 points. The Senators keep losing and are still the worst team in the league. You cannot accuse the Nats of tanking as they don’t even own their draft pick, having traded it to Colorado.
The Blues beat the Blue Jackets 4-2 on the road. That win moved them past the Rangers in the lottery standings.
Another team below the Rangers won in an upset. The Panthers beat Las Vegas 3-1 and now have 50 points, within one point of the Blueshirts.
The Ducks are fading big time and have made an unwelcome entry into the lottery race. They were demolished by the Jets 9-3 and remain tied with the Rangers with 51 points.
The Blackhawks won against Minnesota in overtime and now have 48 points, only three behind New York.
In the late game, Arizona lost in overtime to San Jose, 3-2. The overtime point gives the Coyotes 51 points and they move ahead of the Rangers as they win the ROW tiebreaker.
We have a new entrant to the lottery sweepstakes. Vancouver beat the Avalanche who have fallen out of the playoff picture. Colorado now sits in13th worst place with 52 points and the Canucks are now in the last wild card slot after their 5-1 victory.
The standings (Worst is first)
Teams GP W-L-OTL PTS ROW
1. Ottawa 52 19-28-5 43 19
2. Los Angeles 51 20-27-4 44 19
3. New Jersey 51 20-24-7 47 19
4. Chicago 53 19-24-10 48 19
5. Detroit 53 21-25-7 49 19
6. Edmonton 51 23-24-4 50 21
7. Florida 49 21-21-8 50 19
8. Anaheim 52 21-22-9 51 18
9. Rangers 51 22-22-7 51 17
10. Arizona 51 23-23-5 51 21
11. St. Louis 50 23-22-5 51 23
12. Philadelphia 52 23-23-6 52 21
13. Colorado 52 22-21-8 52 22
14. Buffalo 51 25-20-6 56 22
15. Carolina 51 25-20-6 56 24
Who to root for
A very quiet Superbowl Sunday in the NHL with only three afternoon games. There are only lottery two teams in action.
Oilers @ Canadiens -The Oilers are only one point behind the Rangers. If they win, the Rangers drop to the 8th worst record in the league.
Flames @ Hurricanes – Carolina is in the lottery picture are only three points behind the Blue Jackets for the last wild card spot. The have five more points than the Rangers, so root for them to upset the Flames to widen the gap.
Next. Just not good enough in a 3-2 loss to Tampa. dark
The Rangers are back in action on Monday, hosting the Los Angeles Kings, one of four games in the NHL that night.