There were only three lottery teams in action tonight. By the end of the evening, there were only two. Not only did the Colorado Avalanche pass the New York Rangers, they also vaulted in the last wild card spot moving Minnesota into the lottery standings.
We’ll jump right into the lottery standings as there were minor shifts. The Blackhawks beat Detroit in overtime 5-4, a good outcome for the Rangers. With the win, Chicago passed New Y ork in the standings. With the single point, the Red Wings are five points behind the Rangers.
By virtue of their 7-1 spanking of the Winnipeg Jets, the Colorado Avalanche are not a playoff team. The team they displaced are the Minnesota Wild and they enter the lottery standings tied with the Rangers in points, but below them in the standings due to games played.
So, the Rangers dropped one position into the tenth worst position, tied points-wise with Florida and Minnesota.
The standings (Worst is first)
Teams GP W-L-OTL PTS ROW
1. Ottawa 59 22-32-5 49 22
2. Los Angeles 59 23-30-6 52 21
3. Edmonton 59 24-29-6 54 21
4. New Jersey 60 23-29-8 54 22
5. Detroit 61 23-29-9 55 21
6. Anaheim 60 24-27-9 57 21
7. Arizona 60 27-28-5 59 24
8. Vancouver 60 26-27-7 59 23
9. Minnesota 60 27-27-6 60 26
10. Rangers 59 26-25-8 60 20
11. Florida 58 26-24-8 60 23
12. Chicago 61 26-26-9 61 25
13. Philadelphia 60 28-25-7 63 26
14. Buffalo 59 28-24-7 63 24
15. Carolina 59 31-22-6 68 30
Second East Wild Card Cut Line: 69 points
Second West Wild Card Cut Line: 61 points
Who to root for
It’s a very busy night in the NHL with 11 games scheduled. The Rangers take on the Minnesota Wild for the first time this season and the Wild are out of a playoff spot for the first time in months. They are the fourth straight opponent the Rangers will face who is battling for a wild card slot. 12 of the 15 lottery teams will be in action.
Hurricanes @ Panthers – The Canes are desperate for a win for the playoff hopes. The Panthers need a win to stay ahead of the Rangers. Root for Florida.
Senators @ Devils – A battle between two of the worst teams in the league. This one is a pick ’em, but hope they go to OT.
Flyers @ Canadiens – Philadelphia is slipping out of the playoff pictures, so they desperately need a win. The only have three points more than the Rangers. Montreal is only three points up on the Hurricanes so they have a lot to play for. A Flyers win helps the Rangers more.
Sabres @ Lightning – Another tough opponent for Buffalo who are only three points ahead of New York and six points out of the wild card. They really need an upset over Tampa. It would help the Blueshirts if Buffalo won.
Kings @ Predators – Los Angeles are the second worst team in the league and are eight points back of the Rangers. Root for the Kings.
Islanders @ Oilers – The Oilers have been pretty sad lately and it doesn’t get any better hosting the Isles. Edmonton has slipped to 29th in the NHL. They need points to pass the Rangers.
Coyotes @ Canucks – Both of these teams have 59 points. That means they are one point behind the Rangers and two points out of a wild card slot. Pick’em, but please go to overtime.
Colorado’s stay in the wild card could be short-lived if Minnesota wins and the Coyotes and Canucks are nipping at their heels. Five games on Friday night with some definite consequences for the playoffs and the lottery.