The New York Rangers and the New York Islanders boast the same record, 4-4-2,but the Islanders are trending downward while the Rangers are moving up. The Isles have lost five of their last six games while the Blueshirts have won three of four. If the Rangers have any playoff hopes, this is the kind of game that they have to win.
The reason is simple, when it comes to the playoffs, it looks like the Boston Bruins, Philadelpha Flyers and the Washington Capitals have the inside track on the top three spots. That leaves one spot for the remaining five teams. Right now, the Rangers have 10 points along with the Islanders, Devils and Sabres and they are only one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins who are in fourth place.
The Rangers have been playing better lately and they totally dominated their last meeting with the Isles. With improved play in all three zones and coming off a solid win against the Capitals, the Rangers have a chance to get over .500 and leapfrog over the Penguins into a playoff spot if they win.
In this crazy season, jiust ten days ago, if anyone had said that the Rangers would be in this situation, they might have been laughed out of the room.