A quiet night in the NHL and there is nothing good to report when it comes to the New York Rangers and their lottery positioning. All three lottery contenders lost, so no progress for the Blueshirts.
On the playoff front, the Rangers had closed to within seven points of the Pittsburgh Penguins, sitting in the last wild card spot. The Pens won tonight so the Rangers now trail them by nine points, an almost insurmountable hurdle. All in all, it was a bad night for both the Rangers’ playoff hopes and their lottery dreams.
The Lottery Look
There was one really important game tonight, between Washington and Los Angeles. A Kings win would have moved them only three points behind the Rangers. The other two games featured Vancouver and Philadelphia, teams one point ahead of the Rangers. If they won it would have opened up some breathing room. But they all lost.
The Penguins responded to the pressure of barely hanging onto a playoff spot by beating the red hot Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. It was the Flyers first regulation loss in 11 games. They remain one point ahead of New York.
San Jose demolished Vancouver 7-2 so the Canucks remain a scant one point ahead of the Rangers.
The Kings, who had been playing very well lately, lost 6-4 to the Capitals behind two goals by Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Kings recent surge has lifted them from the worst record into the NHL to 4th worst and the loss does not affect their position.
The standings (Worst is first)
Teams GP W-L-OTL PTS ROW
1. Ottawa 55 21-29-5 47 21
2. Detroit 56 21-28-7 49 19
3. New Jersey 55 21-26-8 50 20
4. Los Angeles 56 23-28-5 51 21
5. Anaheim 56 21-26-9 51 18
6. Edmonton 55 24-26-5 53 21
7. Arizona 55 24-26-5 53 22
8. Florida 54 23-23-8 54 21
9. Chicago 56 23-24-9 55 22
10. Colorado 55 22-22-11 55 22
11. Rangers 55 24-23-8 56 18
12. Vancouver 57 25-25-7 57 23
13. Philadelphia 56 25-24-7 57 23
14. Buffalo 55 27-21-7 61 23
15. Carolina 56 28-22-6 62 27
Who to root for
12 games in the NHL on Tuesday night, including the Rangers on the road against the Central Division leading Winnipeg Jets. 11 lottery teams will be in action so there is an opportunity for some movement in the standings.
Blackhawks @ Bruins – Behind Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks are back in the playoff race with 55 points. Only four points out of the wild card, they are one point worse than the Rangers. Chicago will want this game very badly. Root for them to win.
Hurricanes @ Senators – Carolina is six points ahead of the Rangers and Ottawa is nine points worse. It’s much more important for the Rangers to be worse than the Senators for lottery purposes, so root for them to win.
Maple Leafs @ Avalanche – Colorado is one point worst than the Rangers, but still have playoff hopes. The Leafs will be eager to win after Sunday’s game with the Rangers. Root for the Avs, but this will be a tough game.
Coyotes @ Golden Knights – Arizona is three points worse than the Rangers. The Blueshirts really need them to win this game.
Devils @ Blues – The Devils have 50 points, six points behind the Rangers. The Blues are red hot and are in the playoffs so this will be a tough one for New Jersey.
Red Wings @ Predators – Detroit has done absolutely nothing lately and sit second from the bottom with 49 points. It would help the Rangers if they won, but the Predators are too good.
Stars @ Panthers -Florida is only two points behind the Rangers, but they are playing a Dallas team that is fighting to stay in a playoff position. A home win for the Panthers would be very helpful.
Islanders @ Sabres – Buffalo is fighting to get back into the playoff picture. They are also five points ahead of the Rangers so a Sabres will would be nice. Plus, that means they beat the Islanders.
Wednesday night is a slow night for the NHL with only two games on the schedule, but both feature teams worse than the Rangers.