The New York Rangers playoff hopes ride on this six-game stretch
With yesterday’s roller-coaster trade deadline behind them, the New York Rangers will return to the ice against a familiar foe Tuesday night, starting a stretch of games that will determine their playoff chances.
When fans saw a John Davidson scheduled a press conference for Monday morning, immediately our heads started to swirl. Is Lundqvist gone? Did they re-sign Kreider? Did they move Georgiev?
Instead, Rangerstown was hit with the terrible news of a car accident that fractured Igor Shesterkins ribs and shook up fellow teammate Pavel Buchnevich. But then, on his next breath, President Davidson announced that Kreider would be returning for another seven years, keeping the veteran forward’s bromance with Mika Zibanejad alive for the foreseeable future.
Full statement from John Davidson on Shesterkin, Buchnevich and Kreider's extension: pic.twitter.com/dfV9fUanT2
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 24, 2020
Just as it appeared the Rangers had stood pat at the deadline, it was announced that Brady Skjei was sent to Carolina for a first-round pick, once again sending shockwaves through the Rangers lineup.
Now, the Rangers hit the ice Tuesday night against the New York Islanders, a rival who sits just six points ahead of the Blueshirts in the playoff race. With Skjei gone, Buchnevich and Shesterkin injuries, and Kreider listed as a game-time decision due to illness, a victory against the Islanders will not come easily.
Yet, if the Rangers have any hope at finishing off this wild playoff push, they not only have to get past the Islanders but beat the five opponents after them as well. The Rangers are about to start a six-game stretch in which they play five teams, four of whom have more than 76 points on the season. The lone team on this stretch that falls below the 76 point plateau is the Montreal Canadiens, but traveling into Montreal is never an easy task for any team.
The upcoming schedule
The next six games shape up like this: Tuesday against the Islanders, Thursday against the Canadiens, Friday against the Flyers, Sunday against the Flyers, Tuesday against the Blues, and Thursday against the Capitals.
It is evident that the teams over this stretch are highly regarded throughout the league, and the New York Rangers will have their hands full each and every game, especially while shorthanded. With an 8-2 record in their last ten games and a newfound faith from the front office, the Rangers are a red-hot team as well, who should fully be capable of competing each and every night.
Alexandar Georgiev is a menace against the Islanders, possessing a 4-2 record with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage. He will get the start Tuesday night, but fellow goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers legend who has been put aside for the two younger netminders, will now get a chance alongside Georgiev over these next six games to prove that he is still a capable NHL goaltender as well.
Looking onto the next matchup against Montreal, the Rangers have split the previous two meetings and will look to win the season series on Thursday night. It would not surprise me at all if Georgiev got this start as well, paving the way for Lundqvist to start the next two against the Flyers, a team he has dominated to the tune of 35 career wins and a 2.54 goals-against average.
The Flyers beat the Rangers handily in their only meeting this season 5-1, and the Rangers would like to avenge that defeat this weekend. Moving onto their next opponent, the St. Louis Blues, the two teams have faced off once this season, with the Blues getting the better end of the score in a 5-2 win. That game was in St. Louis, so the March 3rd tilt will be at the Garden, giving the Rangers the fan advantage.
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Capping off this six-game stretch, the Rangers will play another rival in the Washington Capitals, a familiar opponent who the Rangers have played twice this season, with each team getting a blowout win. Goals will be at a premium in this matchup and the whichever team can tighten up the most will surely come away with the victory.
If the Rangers want to make the playoffs there is no doubt that they must attain at least a 4-2 record over these six games. If they cannot reach that mark, odds are they will fall just short of making the playoffs in the stacked Metropolitan division, a task which many people thought would be impossible at the onset of this season.
New York will certainly have the odds stacked against them in this stretch, but nothing good in hockey has ever come easy, and if this run is to continue, the Rangers will have to find a way to battle through the gauntlet of teams that awaits them.
Related Story. Details on the Skjei trade. light