NEW YORK RANGERS NOTES
2023-24 NHL Report: April Roundup
- Rangers cap regular season with 3 straight OT wins
- Toronto looks like a champion
- Arizona falls short of playoffs. What went wrong?
New York Rangers
(End of reg. season)
1 Toronto 118
2 Tampa Bay 110
3 Buffalo 98
4 NY Rangers 98
5 Detroit 95
6 Ottawa 91
7 Montreal 88
8 Pittsburgh 88
—
9 Boston 87
10 Columbus 87 *
11 Philadelphia 84
12 Florida 79
13 Washington 79
14 New Jersey 79
15 NY Islanders 76
16 Carolina 74
1 Calgary 107
2 Vancouver 105
3 Vegas 101
4 Winnipeg 96
5 Edmonton 93
6 Colorado 93
7 Nashville 93
8 Chicago 92
—
9 Seattle 92
10 Arizona 91
11 Minnesota 90
12 Anaheim 87
13 St. Louis 84
14 Dallas 80
15 Los Angeles 78
16 San Jose 64
* Columbus made the playoffs over Montreal
NEW YORK RANGERS NOTES
NEW YORK, NY — It wasn’t the postseason, but the Rangers showdown with 1st-place Toronto had a playoffs atmosphere at Madison Square Garden. And the win over the Maple Leafs in the regular season finale made it even more special.
Toronto held a 2-1 lead entering the final frame. Then late in the period, Chris Kreider netted his 23rd goal to force overtime. A winner couldn’t be decided in OT, and it went to a shootout, and then to sudden death where Vincent Trochek beat the second-best goalkeeper, Ilya Samsonov to give New York a 3-2 victory.
Zibanejad scored 60 points, four shy of matching his 2022-23 total. He scored 27 goals, but it took 282 shots and his shot percentage dropped to and all-time low of 9.6%.
AROUND THE EASTERN CONFERENCE
What a difference a year makes. Last season, Toronto chased the pack and failed to make the playoffs. This season, everyone chased the Maple Leafs who held 1st-place four out of seven months, locked up a playoff berth before anyone else, and scored more points than any other team (118) — earning home ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Max Pacioretty’s return to Montreal didn’t result in a playoff berth, but they came very close. Despite finishing with more points than Columbus, the Blue Jackets prep for the playoffs while the Maple Leafs begin the off-season. The top three clubs in each division automatically make the playoffs and that included Columbus who came in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division with fewer points. If only Montreal had been in a different division!
AROUND THE WESTERN CONFERENCE
Just when we thought Arizona, and all their offensive power, was about to salvage their season and make the postseason, they ended up going 5-5-0 to end the regular season and missed the playoffs by three points. The Coyotes finished with 91 (the last playoff team, Chicago had 92 pts). What went wrong in Arizona after such an incredible start to the season?
Blame it on goaltending. Frederik Andersen spent time on the injured list and played just 50 games with a 2.97 GAA. Backup Karel Vejmelka started 38 games and finished with a 3.22 GAA, and a third goalie, Hunter Jones played 11 games with a 3.19 GAA.
Nashville had not ended a month since December in a playoff position. They had fallen as low as 15th-place in February before rising back up to 10th by the Trade Deadline. Filip Forsberg led the team with 64 points (28 goals, 36 assists), followed by Matt Duscene (61 pts, 16 goals, 45 assists).
Colorado and Pittsburgh also made late pushes to earn a playoff berth. With their rise, other teams had to fall. Teams that were bumped into elimination: Boston (6th > 9th), Florida (8th > 12th), Anaheim (6th > 12th), and Minnesota.
