The New York Rangers went into today's round of games idol, knowing that a simple Florida Panthers win would take them above the Montreal Canadiens and into the final wild-card place ahead of the end of the season. With less than a minute left, it looked like the Rangers were looking like they'd return above the Canadiens in the standings, but the hockey gods are cruel beings, and that was not to be the case. Instead, agony befell the Rangers.
With eight seconds remaining in the game, the Canadiens goaltender was on the bench, and the Panthers looked comfortable. Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki was the beneficiary of a bounce as the puck sprung to him at the side of the goal. Vitek Vanacek, in the Florida goal, had committed to the initial shot, and Suzuki had an open goal to slot the puck into, tying the game up and effectively ensuring the Canadiens would stay above the Rangers.
In case that wasn't painful enough, less than 30 seconds into overtime, Nick Suzuki scored on a wrap-around to grab the second point for the Canadiens. That moves them two points ahead of the Rangers, and they took all four available points off the reigning Stanley Cup Champions ahead of the season's final month. This cannot faze the Rangers, and they need to regroup, as they have their own game tomorrow to prepare for.
New York will tie the Habs again if they can beat the Minnesota Wild tomorrow night. That's the task at hand for the Blueshirts. We know the Rangers have struggled recently, but the teams around them in the standings are starting to right the ship. If New York cannot follow suit, they will continue tumbling down the standings and waste the great start to the season that this franchise enjoyed.