New York Rangers: Looking for a Wild finish In Minnesota

The New York Rangers round off their four-game road trip with a matchup against the Minnesota Wild tonight, who are chasing a wild card position in the Western Conference.

It has been a tough week for the New York Rangers who are now 0-2-1 on this excursion, which began in Edmonton before taking in stops at Vancouver and at Calgary.

Another harsh lesson in terms of where the Blueshirts currently are in this rebuild was dished out on Friday night when they were humbled by the Flames, succumbing to a 5-1 loss.

Neal Pionk tallied his first goal in 30 games with a thunderous slapper from just inside the left face-off circle to tie it up at 1-1, but a five-point night from Matthew Tkachuk helped Calgary reclaim first place in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference.

Following that latest loss the Rangers are now 1-4-5 in their last ten outings, although they have secured at least one point in six of those games after losing in either overtime or the shootout.

They have been poor offensively during that stretch too, totalling just 22 goals.

The Wild, on the other hand, are in a scrap for their lives as they battle to try and secure a playoff spot – they are currently three points back of the Arizona Coyotes for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

There is some hope to be had for the New York Rangers, though…

Three keys to the game

1. What home advantage?

Despite still having an outside chance of nabbing a playoff berth, the Wild have been less than impressive on home ice and that will have to change if they are to extend their season beyond April.

Minnesota suffered a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday which dropped them to a game under .500 at the Xcel Energy Center, where they have a less than stellar 14-15-6 record this season.

That should give the Rangers some encouragement going into tonight’s tilt, although their record on the road (11-19-5) leaves a lot to be desired.

However, if the Blueshirts can get off to a fast start and inject some nerves in amongst the home crowd, then the game could be there for the taking.

The Wild are projected to need to win at least 8 of their final 11 games in order to clinch the second wild card spot, which means all the pressure will be on them tonight and that could be the perfect scenario for the Rangers who have been blown-out by a combined score of 9-2 in their last two outings.

2. Snapping out of a funk

This season, full of ups and downs, will be known as the year that Chris Kreider finally exploded into the offensive threat that has previously only been shown in flashes.

Playing predominantly alongside Mika Zibanejad – another player who has enjoyed a breakout year – Kreider has put up 26 goals and 23 assists for 49 points in 71 games played – including 7 goals and 12 points on the Power Play.

He is still on pace to achieve career highs in goals, assists and points, but it has been a bleak run of late for Krieder who is currently mired in a deep offensive slump.

Friday’s 5-1 loss to Calgary ensured that Krieder has now gone eight games without a goal and he only has one point in his last five outings, which came in the 4-2 win against the New Jersey Devils on March 9th.

Head Coach David Quinn, no stranger to showing tough love to his players if he thinks they need it, has bounced one of his stars up and down the line-up in recents weeks in a desperate bid to spark Krieder back into life.

Reunited on a top line with Zibanejad in the last two games with the latter also going through his own respective slump, Kreider and the Rangers will be hoping for a change in fortunes in Minnesota tonight.

3. Never say die

Although one win in their last ten games is hardly a record the Rangers locker room will be proud of, one thing they can take pride from is their compete level.

Apart from the last two matchups in Vancouver and Calgary respectively, the Blueshirts have fought until the bitter end, taking punches but still getting back off the canvas and giving their opponents a hell of a good fight.

That spirit and determination will have to be on show in abundance again tonight in order to get the better of the Wild, who are scrapping for every point on offer between now and the end of the regular season.

Minnesota can ill afford another slip-up, especially on home ice, and they will no doubt be ready to compete from the first drop of the puck, which the Rangers will need to match if they are to finish this four-game road trip on a high note.