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New York Rangers: Kiss the lottery position goodbye and enjoy the wins

By Steve Paulus

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 31: Pavel Buchnevitch #89 of the New York Rangers celebrates his first period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with his teammates on the bench on March 31, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 31: Pavel Buchnevitch #89 of the New York Rangers celebrates his first period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with his teammates on the bench on March 31, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 31: Ryan Strome #16 of the New York Rangers celebrates his first period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with his teammates on the bench on March 31, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 31: Ryan Strome #16 of the New York Rangers celebrates his first period goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with his teammates on the bench on March 31, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The New York Rangers shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0.  They beat a Flyers team that wasn’t especially motivated having been eliminated from the playoffs the day before. The win didn’t help the Blueshirt’s lottery aspirations at all.

Face it, the New York Rangers want to win.  The players don’t care if the team finishes fifth, sixth or seventh in the lottery standings.  They just want to win.  As Ranger fans it can be frustrating and all we can do is put our faith in the hockey gods when it comes to ping pong balls.   And that’s not the worst thing in the world.  I have to ask, would you rather be Ranger fan or a Buffalo Sabres supporter?

The Buffalo Sabres are the poster child for everything that is wrong with the NHL. They are a team that has been given every opportunity to win and they have squandered it. Look at the facts.

  1. This is the eighth straight year that the Buffalo Sabres are missing the playoffs.
  2. The Sabres have made the playoffs twice in the last 12 years.
  3. In the two years they made the playoffs, the lost in the first round.
  4. The have finished seventh or eighth in the Atlantic Division for the last five seasons.
  5. In the last six seasons their point percentage is .457.
  6. They are on their third general manager in seven years.
  7. They are on their fifth coach in seven years.
  8. In the six years since 2013, the Sabres have had  six top ten draft picks.
  9. In those six  years they have had 18 picks in the first two rounds of the entry draft.
  10. In those six years, they had the top pick once and the second overall pick twice.

This season, the Sabres sit in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with a very definite chance to finish there.  They have the fourth worst record in the NHL and could end the season with second or third worst record.  Since the trade deadline, the Sabres have won two games in overtime, lost 14 and lost two more in overtime.  They added to that total on Sunday with another loss, to the Columbus Blue Jackets.   That means of a possible 36 points, they will have picked up six, only 16% of the possible points.

If the Sabres continue losing at this rate, they will finish second worst in the NHL and will be rewarded with an almost 40% shot at a top three pick and definitely a pick in the top five.

Meanwhile, the New York Rangers have gone 4-8-4 since the deadline. Of a potential 32 points, they have gotten 12.  That’s 38% of the possible points.  They will  probably finish seventh overall in the lottery standings and be rewarded with a 20% chance at a top three pick and a 53% chance of moving down in the lottery standings.

The Sabres have one of the most dedicated fan bases in the entire league. Yet, in their 49th year they have yet to win a Stanley Cup and have made it to the Finals twice.  The Sabres are in the eighth year of a rebuilding process.

The Rangers are in the second year of a rebuild.  They have torn apart their roster, trading away some fan favorites while stockpiling young talent.  They have hired a new coach who will do anything to win.

That’s the team that went into Philadelphia today and handed the Flyers a 3-0 shutout.  David Quinn talks about a winning culture an awful lot.  He may be right.

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