New York Rangers: The playoffs start tonight

There is really no way to tell exactly when the official NHL Playoffs will actually begin given all the COVID rescheduling that has taken place, but none of that should really matter to New York Rangers fans, because for them, the playoffs start tonight.

Make no bones about it, this two-game, home and home set against the hated Islanders is a playoff series.  Although the outcome of the series will not be as cut and dried as one team advances the other goes home, the ramifications for both teams will come very close to that.

For the Rangers it is simple.  Win both and it’s game on.  The team will be only one point behind the Islanders for the final playoff position in the East.  Not only that, but the Islanders will be in what really amounts to a free fall.  It would mean five losses in a row for the Fishsticks.  The only light to brighten their future will be that they have two games against both the Sabres and Devils before wrapping it all up with one final game against the Bruins.

Yet, as Rangers fan have seen over the past two weeks, both the Devils and the Sabres are not throwing in the towel at this point.  Rather, their rosters are full of young kids who want to make an impression.  Although they may appear to be overmatched, they are not playing that way.  An Islander team that is suddenly lacking in confidence could be ripe for the taking by the also-rans in the East.

The Rangers on the other hand face a gauntlet, as they play the Capitals and Bruins twice each to wrap up the regular season.

Three two-game sets to end the season.  Six pseudo playoff games to make the playoffs.

Realistically, to make the NHL Playoffs, the Rangers have to win them all as Steve Paulus pointed out here yesterday.  But if Ranger fans want just a taste of what playoff hockey will be, then these final six games can be just that.

And yes, I’m fully aware that the Rangers were in “The Playoffs” last summer, but honestly let’s just throw that whole thing out, it was an aberration on so many levels.

Essentially the Rangers are down 3-0 in a seven game series right now and they must win every game from this point forward. Each game is a fight for survival, each game another building block for this team that has certainly crossed over from rebuild status to playoff contender. Let’s hope this fight goes the distance because each and every game the Rangers play this year under playoff-like pressure can only help in the long run.

It all starts with a win in the game tonight. All things suddenly look much better.  Now the Saturday night game on the island becomes must watch TV.  The game will have the look, the feel, the build-up of a real playoff game.  Win that game and the Rangers are right back in it.

If the Rangers sweep these two games against the Isles, they advance to the next round against the Caps.  The Blueshirts are feeling good, the Islanders are not.

If the Rangers lose tonight it’s pretty much over. Quite frankly after the beating they took last time out against the Islanders this seems a more likely scenario.  But the difference here is that the Rangers have to be in playoff mode for this game, where they may not have been for the previous match-up.  As Brendan Smith said about the Islanders after the last game:

“They’re playoff ready, and we got a little taste of that for sure.” 

The Rangers need to be “playoff ready” starting tonight, this is a playoff game.  If they come out and get completely dominated again, well then, they are just not a “playoff ready” team.  That much becomes very clear and the team can play out the string of games getting a look at Morgan Barron along the way.

A split with Islanders is pretty much the same scenario, points need to be gained or it’s all over.  A win and an overtime loss keeps the candle lit, but the flame is little more than the nub at the bottom of the candle jar.

So here we are.  The Rangers are playing meaningful hockey games at the end of the season.  The team was here last year as well but never really got in the ring.  This year, the fight is on, round one is tonight.