If the season were to end today, the New York Rangers would have pulled off an improbable comeback of the ages. They are sitting in the second wildcard spot, with a record of 33-29-6 for 72 points.
The second wildcard spot, which is a bid into the playoffs, is the Rangers to keep at the moment. But, several teams are right behind them, with their agenda of making it into the playoffs.
When the season does end on April 17, where will the Rangers be in the standings?
Metropolitan Division
In a highly competitive Metropolitan division, the Rangers are still within earshot. The Washington Capitals leads the Metro, as well as the rest of the Eastern Conference at 96 points, followed by the Carolina Hurricanes at 86 points and the New Jersey Devils are the third-seed with 78 points.
Much like the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference, and their path to the playoffs, they are closely behind the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche for the third Central Divison spot, WC1 and WC2 spot. The Rangers are in the same boat, and they have a rather big paddle to get them upstream.
Between the Rangers at the second wildcard spot and the first wildcard spot in the East, is the Ottawa Senators at 77 points. That makes the Blushirts five points back of the first wildcard spot, and six points back of the third Metropolitan Division spot.
With 14 games left to be played, there are 28 points up for grabs. As we turn the calendar ever so slowly to April, the “Hudson River Rivalry” clashes one more time on April 5. That game has serious playoff implications attached to it.
For prediction's sake, the Rangers can take over the Devils for the third Metro spot. The Devils are dealing with a multitude of injuries and it has happened to a lot of their top guys. Jack Hughes is out, Dougie Hamilton is out. That is a serious blow to a team that has been on the fringe over the past two months with a 7-8 record over their last 15 games. The Rangers have started to heat up, with a record of 8-5-2 over their last 15 games.
Playoffs?
The Rangers will undoubtedly make the playoffs this season. Even through all of the drama and horror that was a few months ago, there is a happy ending to this movie. How far in the playoffs will they go, that's another question for another time.
Realistically, if they achieve the second wildcard spot, they will face off against the Washington Capitals in the first round. If they can overtake the Devils, they will visit Carolina in the first round. Both are very tough matchups, and both were considered failures this regular season.
The Rangers hold a record of 0-3 against the Hurricanes and 0-2-1 against the Capitals. The season series is complete against the Caps, but there is still one more game to go against the Hurricanes on April 12.
This has been a rather fun season, and its conclusion should have you glued to the ice.