Fans of the New York Rangers could take the scoreboard watching night off as there was only one game that mattered just a little to the Blueshirts’ pursuit of a playoff spot.
The was no ground to lose last night for the New York Rangers as there was only one game involving a rival for the Eastern Conference playoffs. It’s a different story in the West where there were a couple games worth noting.
Tonight is completely different story with 11 games on the schedule including the Blueshirts’ visit to Minneapolis-St. Paul. Igor Shesterkin is making all of these games very relevant and tonight will be no different as he is probably getting the nod as David Quinn continues to ride the hot hand.
The playoff picture
The only game of note last night was Montreal’s visit to Boston and it ended predictably with a 4-1 Bruins win. Led by a David Pastrnak hat truck, the Bruins dealt the Canadiens quite a blow to their playoff hopes.
While Montreal remained eight points out of the wild card, they have played more games than any team in the East. The Rangers have four games in hand and trail them by only one point.  Get this, the Rangers have won 25 games in regulation compared to the Habs with only 17.
The standings
Atlantic Div. GP  W-L-OTL   PTS   RW
Boston      58   35-11-12   82   31
Tampa       57   37-15-5    79   30
Toronto      57   30-19-8    68   22
Met Div.     GP   W-L-OTL   PTS  RW
Washington  56   36-15-5    77   27
Pittsburgh   55   34-15-6    74   23
Islanders    55   33-16-6    72    22
Wild Card    GP    W-L-OTL   PTS  RW
Columbus    57   30-17-10   70  23
Philadelphia  57   31-19-7    69  22
Contenders  GP   W-L-OTL   PTS  RW
Carolina     56   32-21-3    67   22
Florida      56   30-20-6    66   25
Montreal     59   27-25-7    61   17
Rangers      55   28-23-4    60   25
Buffalo       57   25-24-8    58   19
New Jersey   55   20-25-10   50  15
Ottawa       56   18-27-11  47   14
Detroit       58   14-40-4    32   11
The key games tonight
There are 11 games on the schedule with five of them having playoff ramifications for the Rangers and that includes their match with the Minnesota Wild.
Flyers @ Panthers – This is the key game of the night and a true four point game. The Flyers are eight points up on the Rangers and Florida has a six point lead. A loss for either team works for the Rangers as they must pass both, but it would be more important for the Flyers to lose as they are in the Met Division. This is a rematch for these two teams as the Flyers won 4-1 over the Panthers on Monday. Please…no overtime!
Blue Jackets @ Sabres – Columbus has a ten point lead on New York though they have played two more games. They just added Cam Atkinson to their list of walking wounded and they face the Rangers on Friday. Here’s the deal. If the Blue Jackets lose to Buffalo and the Rangrers, they will have 70 points and the Blueshirts will have 62 and three games in hand. Hmmm.
Islanders @ Predators – With 72 points and 55 games played, the Islanders are thisclose to becoming uncatch-able. If they keep winning that will a reality very soon, so root for Nashville to win at home. A Nashville win also helps the Rangers in the lottery race
Stars @ Maple Leafs – The Leafs have an eight point lead and are in a fight for third place in the Atlantic Division with Florida. It appears that there is a good chance that both Eastern Conference wild card teams will come from the Met Division so the Rangers need to surpass either Florida or Toronto, but not both. Root for Dallas.
The lottery look
While we all want the Rangers to make the postseason (okay, most of us), it’s important to keep track of the draft lottery competition in case the Rangers fall short.
it’s logical to assume that Detroit, Los Angeles, Ottawa, New Jersey, Anaheim and San Jose will all be tough for the Rangers to catch. However, with the 60 points, the Rangers are in a group of 15 teams within ten points of each other. A Chicago win would have helped the Blueshirts’ lottery aspirations but they were shut out by the Canucks.
The Rangers remain 11th from the bottom of the NHL standings. On a positive note, the Kings unexpectedly beat the Flames to move them a little closer to New York.
The standings (Worst is first)
Teams         GR   W-L-OTL    PT  RW
1. Detroit       58   14-40-4    32   11
2. Los Angeles  58   20-33-5    45   14
3. Ottawa      56   18-27-11   47   14
4. New Jersey   55   20-25-10   50  15
5. Anaheim     56   30-16-7    52   16
6. San Jose     56   24-28-4    52   18
7. Buffalo       57   25-24-8    58   19
8. Chicago      57   25-24-8    58   18
9. Nashville    55  26-22-7    59   21
10. Minnesota  56   27-23-6    60   24
11. Rangers     55   28-23-4    60   25
12. Montreal     59   27-25-7    61  17
13. Winnipeg    58  29-24-5    63  22
14. Arizona      59  28-23-8     64  20
15. Calgary      58  29-23-6     64  19
16. Vegas        58  28-22-8    64   22
17. Florida       56  30-20-6    66   25
18. Edmonton   56  30-20-6    66   26
19. Carolina     56   32-21-3    67   22
20. Toronto      57  30-19-8    68   22
21. Vancouver   58  32-21-5    69   25
22. Dallas       56   32-19-5    69   22
23. Philadelphia  57   31-19-7    69   22
24. Columbus    57   30-17-10   70   23
25.Islanders     55  33-16-6    72   22
26. Colorado     55   33-16-6    72   30
Second East Wild Card Cut Line:Â 69 points
Second West Wild Card Cut Line:Â 64 points
Playoff teams in italics.