The Lottery Look
The only consolation was that the loss helped the Rangers stay in seventh place in the lottery standings. The win moved Vancouver within two points of New York, so the possibility of dropping as low as fifth or sixth still exists.
Chicago won a wild game against Toronto and moved into tenth place, two points better than the Rangers. The Blackhawks jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held on for a 5-4 win as Toronto poured 29 shots on goal in the third period, scoring three times.
In Edmonton, the Oilers let the Rangers down, losing 6-3 to the Devils. Edmonton remains tied with the Rangers in points along with the idle Buffalo Sabres, but they both hold the tie breaker (ROW’s). The Devils moved to within eight points of New York, too much to make up.
The standings (Worst is first)
Teams GP W-L-OTL PT ROW
1. Ottawa 70 23-41-6 52 23
2. Detroit 70 24-36-10 58 21
3. Los Angeles 69 25-36-8 58 23
4. New Jersey 71 26-36-9 61 25
5. Anaheim 71 28-34-9 65 25
6. Vancouver 70 29-32-9 67 26
7. Rangers 70 28-29-13 69 22
8. Edmonton 70 31-32-7 69 28
9. Buffalo 69 30-30-9 69 26
10. Chicago 70 31-30-9 71 29
11. Florida 69 30-27-12 72 27
12. Colorado 70 30-28-12 72 29
13. Minnesota 70 33-29-8 74 32
14. Philadelphia 69 34-27-8 76 32
15. Montreal 70 37-26-7 81 35
Second East Wild Card Cut Line: 81 points
Second West Wild Card Cut Line: 75 points
Who to root for
Ten games in the NHL on Thursday night with two games of huge interest for the Rangers and a few other games worth noting.
Penguins @ Sabres – The Sabres have the same number of points as the Rangers and this is a game in hand. Pittsburgh has been red hot lately and the Sabres have been awful, losing five in a row. It would be nice if Buffalo could win, but it’s not likely. Root for the Sabres to upset.
Ducks @ Coyotes – Arizona is now a wild card team and will need to win to stay there. Anaheim has closed to within four points of the Rangers. Root for a Ducks win, the best hope for the Rangers to move up in the lottery standings.
Stars @ Wild – Minnesota is desperate to get back into the wild card spot and they are only five points better than the Rangers. Root for Minnesota to win to widen that gap.
Panthers @ Sharks – Florida is only three points better than the Rangers so root for them to win a tough road game against the best team in the West. Florida has won two in a row and lost only two out of their last ten. The Sharks have the same number of losses in their last ten games, but are riding a six game winning streak.