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New York Rangers: A 1-0 loss to Dallas helps the lottery race

By Steve Paulus

DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 05: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers controls the puck against Ben Bishop #30 of the Dallas Stars and Brett Ritchie #25 of the Dallas Stars in the third period at American Airlines Center on March 05, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 05: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers controls the puck against Ben Bishop #30 of the Dallas Stars and Brett Ritchie #25 of the Dallas Stars in the third period at American Airlines Center on March 05, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 05: Roman Polak #45 of the Dallas Stars and Esa Lindell #23 of the Dallas Stars fight against Filip Chytil #72 of the New York Rangers, Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers and Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers in the third period at American Airlines Center on March 05, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 05: Roman Polak #45 of the Dallas Stars and Esa Lindell #23 of the Dallas Stars fight against Filip Chytil #72 of the New York Rangers, Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers and Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers in the third period at American Airlines Center on March 05, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

The Lottery Look

There were ten lottery teams in action Tuesday night including the Rangers and seven of them came away with at least one point.  With the Rangers losing, they dropped one slot behind Edmonton and are now eighth from the bottom of the NHL standings.  They are tied in points, but Edmonton has 26 ROW to the Rangers’ 21. Wins in regulation could be a key tiebreaker for the Rangers as they are tied with Detroit for the fewest in the league.

The Western Conference remains a roller coaster with four teams within five points of each other fighting for the last two wild card spots.  In the East, it looks like a battle between Columbus, Pittsburgh, Carolina and Montreal for the last wild card spot.

As for lottery aspirations, while it looks like a  8th or 9th place finish for the  Rangers, it is quite possible that they could drop as low as fifth from the bottom with only six points separating the Blueshirts from the Devils.  “The Athletic” website projects an 8th place finish for the Rangers based on strength of schedule and injuries.

The standings (Worst is first)

Teams                    GP      W-L-OTL    PTS   ROW
1. Ottawa               67     23-38-6       52      23
2. Detroit                66     23-33-10    56      21
3. Los Angeles      66     24-34-8       56      22
5. New Jersey        67     25-33-9      59     24
4. Anaheim             67     26-32-9      61     23
6.  Vancouver        66     27-30-9       63     24
7. Chicago              66     27-30-9       63      26
8. Rangers             66    27-28-11      65    21
9.  Edmonton        66     29-30-7      65     26
10. Florida             66     28-26-12     68    25
11.  Buffalo           66    30-28-8        68     26
12.  Arizona           66     32-29-5       69     28
13.  Colorado        67     29-26-12     70     28
14. Philadelphia   66     32-26-8       72     30
15. Columbus       66     37-26-3        77     36

Second East Wild Card Cut Line:  79 points
Second West Wild Card Cut Line:  72 points

Who to root for

When it comes to the lottery standings, it’s an easy answer.  New Jersey, Anaheim, Chicago and Vancouver are all within striking distance of the Rangers.  Edmonton, Florida, Buffalo and Arizona are all dangerously close to the Rangers in the standings.  The good news is that Edmonton and Arizona still harbor playoff hopes and that will keep them playing meaningful games.

Maple Leafs @ Canucks – The Rangers really need Vancouver to upset Toronto at home.  That would put the Canucks in a points tie with New York, though the Rangers would have a game in hand.

Blues @ Ducks – St. Louis is in the thick of the West playoff hunt, but Anaheim has also crept within four points of the Rangers. An Anaheim win will put them only two points back, but they will have played two more games.

Capitals @ Flyers – Philadelphia is seven points ahead of the Rangers. They are also seven points   out of a  playoff berth and they still believe that they have a shot.   Dream on.  A few more wins for the Flyers will guarantee that the Rangers won’t be able to catch them.

Next. Comparing Filip Chytil's season as a 19-year old. dark

A key lottery match up looms for the Rangers as they take on the Red Wings on Thursday night. It’s a “four point” lottery game, but Detroit has been pretty awful lately, losing eight in a row.  With bottom dwelling Ottawa winning some games under interim coach Marc Crawford, the Red Wings have a shot at the top slot in the lottery race.  We’ll see if tanking is the course that Detroit is on when they take on the Blueshirts.

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