After the New York Islanders fell at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, we have a clearer idea of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Montreal won earlier in the day, but we've already addressed that. Now, our attention must turn to the rivals across the city and what their defeat means for the New York Rangers playoff aspirations. It's good news for the New York Rangers, so let us dive into why they did so well with this result.
The Blueshirts defeated the San Jose Sharks last night, moving them into the second wild-card spot. Still, the Canadiens' win earlier took the Rangers out of that spot and threw them back into the chasing pack. Still, the problem was that the Islanders could have overtaken the Rangers had they managed to defeat the Hurricanes, but the result favored the Blueshirts. We now get a clearer picture of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Now, the Eastern Conference is a little more complicated. The Montreal Canadiens are in the final wild card position. They are ahead of the Rangers on points percentage. Following the Rangers are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have two games in hand on the Rangers and are just two points back. New York will need a result to go against Columbus in the season's final stretch to ensure they finish ahead of the NHL's feel-good story.
Below the Jackets are the Detroit Red Wings, who have 74 points from their 73 games, meaning they're 3 points back of the Rangers with only one game in hand. That is the same position where the New York Islanders sit. The Eastern Conference is not leaping at the chance to take the second wild-card spot, so the Rangers' hopes will remain alive. Can they seize the chance and make it to the postseason?