The out-of-town scoreboard last night was indifferent to the Ranger's cause. The New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders picked up loser points for falling 4-3 in the shootout. The Devils pushed their gap ahead of the Rangers, and the Rangers fell below the Islanders, but that could all change if the scoreboard continues to fall the way of the Blueshirts. Several games tonight have significant implications for the Rangers, so we will watch those with bated breath.
Before we discuss tonight's games, let's review the current standings in the Eastern Conference. The New Jersey Devils sit in the final spot in the Metropolitan. Their overwhelming injury crisis has made them susceptible to the chasing pack. They have 81 points from 72 games. Ottawa sits in the top wild card with 79 points from 69 games, while Montreal has 75 points from 69 games. Both are Atlantic Teams and cannot catch the Devils. The Islanders have 74 points from 70 games, while the Rangers have 74 points from 71 games. Columbus now has 73 points from their 70 games, making this a messy fight in the East.
Let's start with the 7 p.m. games. New York needs Buffalo to win, ideally. This is to begin the unlikely scenario of dragging the Senators back into the chasing pack, and the playoff race is for both wild cards, as opposed to just the second one. That's unlikely, given their gap to the wild card places and how many games they have left, but you never know, as the Rangers hope to cause issues here.
At 8, Montreal plays the Blues in St. Louis. Rangers fans need to support Pavel Buchnevich and the Blues in their quest for the postseason tonight. The Rangers don't have a hope for the playoffs if the Habs keep winning, and the Blues are capable of besting the original six franchises from Quebec if they keep their hopes alive out West.
The Rangers can hope for a few other results, but none are required for the season. Carolina falling to Nashville, Philadelphia being defeated by Toronto, and Pittsburgh losing to Tampa would help the Rangers move away from the chasing pack. However, nothing is required since those three teams are either already out or, in Carolina's case, are probably too far ahead to worry about.