With the new divisional structure in the NHL, every game is said to be a four point game. That means if the Rangers beat Washington they will be five points behind the Capitals. If they lose, the margin jumps to nine points. That means every game is even more important and if a team wants to make the playoffs, they cannot afford to take any games off, especially those against teams ahead of them in the standings.
There is one way to minimize the four point game impact and that is by getting to overtime. By getting to extra time, a team is guaranteed of getting one point. If the Rangers lose in OT to the Capitals, the margin between the team to eight points.
Look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. They are three points ahead of the Rangers and have won three of their four games with the Blueshirts, but the Rangers got to extra time in two of the games. That means of a possible eight points, while the Pens have gotten six, the Rangers have gotten four. Three regulation wins and the margin would be five points.
Even more important for the Pens is how their record compares to other teams. With three regulation wins, they have snared five extra points by getting to extra time.
Two points gains may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a season, it could make a big difference. Pittsburgh’s .350 points percentage in regulation is last in the East, but they are sitting in fourth place, the last playoff spot.
Last season
Last season is the perfect illustration of the importance of getting to overtime. The Rangers finished 18th in the NHL with a points percentage of .564. They were given a gift when the NHL expanded the playoff pool with the Stanley Cup Qualifying round.
However, the Rangers also had 31 wins in regulation last season. Only four teams in the NHL had more. Yes, you read that right. They were exceeded only by Boston (38), Colorado (37),Tampa (35) and St. Louis (33). Three teams had 31 wins like the Rangers, with two of them having played one fewer game.
The Rangers’ regulation winning percentage was .521. That was good for 12th best in the NHL and seventh best in the Eastern Conference.
The problem was that the Rangers went to overtime only 11 times all season, winning five times. They came away with six points in games that they lost.
Compare that to the Columbus Blue Jackets. They got to overtime a league leading 23 times and though they lost 15 of those games, they came away with 15 points in losses. That’s how they finished two points ahead of the Rangers.
The Islanders won seven fewer games than the Rangers in regulation, but got to overtime 21 times, winning 11 and losing 10. That’s how they finished one point ahead of the Rangers.
This season
Last season, 23% of the games played went to overtime. That was 250 out of 1,082 NHL games. This season, that number has increased to 28%. 42 of the 149 games played so far this season have gone to overtime.
It’s even more dramatic in the East Division, probably due to the level of competition. East Division teams have played 39 games so far and 16 of them have gone to overtime. That’s 41%.
The first place Bruins have played six overtime games, winning four and losing two. The second place Flyers have played four overtime games, splitting them. The Caps have gone to OT in half of their games, winning two and losing three.
So far, the Rangers are holding their own, having gone to overtime in three games, winning one and losing two. They need to keep this up, stay close in games and above all, if they are going to lose, do it in OT.
If the Rangers miss out on a playoff spot we could point to the January 24 3-2 loss to the Penguins when Jake Guentzel scored the game winner with only 1:31 left in the game. Or the next game, a 3-2 loss to Buffalo when the Rangers pulled their goalie to give them a two man power play advantage for 1:33 and were unable to get the equalizer. Even if they had lost those two games in OT, those two points could be the difference between the postseason and an early trip to the golf course.
Blowing leads in the third period is bad. Blowing leads and losing in regulation is even worse.