A win over the worst team in the NHL Saturday night didn’t undo all the disappointment the New York Rangers have endured over the last several months.
But it did leave them with a better chance of salvaging something from their underwhelming season.
The Rangers will look to remain in the thick of the race for the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference when they host the Minnesota Wild in the final clash of the regular season between the teams Wednesday.
The Rangers have been off since Saturday night, when they concluded a three-game West Coast trip by routing the San Jose Sharks, 6-1. The Wild began a three-game road trip against Metropolitan Division foes Monday night, when they fell to the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in a shootout.
Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox scored twice apiece Saturday night for the Rangers (35-32-7, 77 points). New York avoided the worst-case scenario for its trip following back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks (0-1-1) and ensured it would still be within two points of the second wild-card spot for now.
The Rangers entered Tuesday tied for the second wild card with the Montreal Canadiens, who had a game in hand before hosting the Florida Panthers. New York is also two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were slated to entertain the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Watching the scoreboard and figuring out the various paths to the playoffs as April begins represents a dramatic fall for the Rangers. They expected to contend for the Stanley Cup after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season and falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals.
“We’re still fighting and we’re still pushing for something,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’ve made it a little bit difficult for ourselves, but I think the guys are still dialed in on collecting points.”
New York went 4-15-0 from Nov. 21 through Dec. 30 — a span in which it fell into last place in the Metropolitan and traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks. The Rangers then jump-started the NHL’s trade deadline frenzy by acquiring JT Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31.
New York may get another boost Wednesday night, as prospect Gabe Perreault is expected to make his NHL debut. Perrault signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Rangers on Monday, one day after his amateur career ended with Boston College’s 3-1 loss to Denver in the NCAA Tournament.
The path to the playoffs will likely be easier for the Wild (41-28-6, 88 points). They hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference and are six points ahead of ninth-place Calgary entering the Flames’ game Tuesday night against the Utah Hockey Club.
But the Wild’s grip on the first wild card over the surging St. Louis Blues has grown more tenuous over the last week-plus. While Minnesota has lost two straight and four of five (1-3-1), the Blues have extended their winning streak to nine games and were one point behind their Central Division rivals heading into Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
The Wild remained ahead of the Blues on Monday, forcing overtime at New Jersey by coming back from a pair of one-goal deficits in the third period. Vinnie Hinostroza scored early in the third before Matt Brody collected a goal with 2:08 left.
“It’s a huge point, obviously,” Hinostroza said. “Especially when we’re down 2-1 late.”
–Field Level Media
