The season is starting to slip away. Saturday afternoon's matinee match-up against the "Hudson River Rival" New Jersey Devils was an utter disaster. The Rangers fell 4-0 in an embarrassing showing in front of a very blue crowd in Newark, New Jersey.
Legendary broadcaster Sam Rosen's final call is coming sooner than expected, and this team will likely face a very turbulent offseason. With six games left, there is a very tough schedule in front of the Blueshirts. This loss to the Devils hurts their chances for the playoffs from a standings viewpoint, as well as their pride and dignity.
Final. pic.twitter.com/ZT4g6YQzB9
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 5, 2025
Losing their Grip
The Rangers, at 36-33-7 for 79 points, failed to make up any ground on the Eastern Conference wild card race. The Montreal Canadiens, who defeated the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and have another cupcake opponent in Nashville on Sunday, are starting to pull away at 83 points. As the Canadiens keep on winning, with games in hand over the Rangers, the hope for a playoff berth is starting to be squandered.
According to moneypuck.com, the Rangers currently have an 18.7% chance of making the playoffs, compared to the Canadiens' 63.2% chance. There is still a bit of a chance, and of course, anything can happen, but the rest of the Rangers schedule is filled with some heavy hitters.
Strong Remaining Schedule
Over the season's last six games, the Rangers will meet twice with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes as their remaining playoff opponents. Then, they have both the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders. That is a tough 12 points to grab, especially when the Canadiens have Nashville, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Carolina, and Ottawa.
When all is said and done, it doesn't look like the Rangers will be celebrating a playoff berth at the last game of the year on April 17 against Tampa Bay. It is not definitive, but the odds are stacked against them, especially with what was shown on the ice in the shutout loss to the Devils.
There is still hope left in the tank, but the meter is low and time is running out. Can the Rangers figure out their flaws and have a strong last six games?