The New York Rangers playoff hopes ride on this six-game stretch

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.