New York Rangers
New York needed a tie or win against the Capitals to finish in third-pace in the Eastern Conference, but they fell far short, losing 5-1 to Washington in the regular season finale. A tight battle that resulted in a 1-1 tie after one period went to 2-1 Washington in the second. Still within striking distance for a win, the Rangers fell apart late, picking up penalties, and allowed the Capitals to distance themselves. Five players, along with Alex Ovechkin, scored for Washington while the lone Rangers’ goal was netted by Filip Chytil.
The Hurricanes and Rangers goalies were at their best through three periods as New York couldn’t settle for anything less than a win and three crucial points. It was Frederik Andersen who blinked first and allowed Filip Chytil to score with under a minute remaining to break a 1-1 tie. The flood gate opened after that and the Rangers added two more scores to notch a 4-1 victory at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers will enter the final game of the regular season as the 4th-place team with 98 points, tied with 3rd-place Florida in points. New York can still fall from fourth but can’t finish any lower than 6th-place. However, and drop would mean they’d miss out on home-ice advantage in the first-round.
Alexandar Georgiev made 24 saves to lead the Rangers to a 3-1 victory over the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. Starting goalie Igor Shesterkin had the night off. Georgiev allowed the one goal by Philadelphia in the first period. Alexis Lafraniere and Chris Kreider lit the lamp in the second frame to provide a 2-1 lead for the Rangers, then Julien Gauthier racked his first goal of the season early in the third to seal the win.
With the victory, New York moved into third place with 91 points, one point behind Carolina. The Flyers dropped to fourth-place, two points behind New York.
New York can exhale slightly after facing several teams within the top eight of the conference. Upcoming opponents, Boston and New Jersey are not in the playoff picture currently but both still have a chance to move up to the eighth spot if they can finish strong. The resurgent Tampa Bay Lightning hold the eighth playoff spot as of April 14.
Ryan Strome tapped in a rebound with three seconds remaining in the second period to break a 2-2 tie and the Rangers went on to defeat the Hurricanes 3-2. The victory comes when New York, after falling to 5th-place, is trying to make their way back to a position to earn a 1st-round home-advantage. They are now tied with the 3rd-place Flyers in points (89) — the team they place next in Philadelphia.
The Rangers fell behind 2-0 when Calle Jarnkrok scored 9:08 into the second period. New York then strung together three-unanswered on goals by Ryan Lindgren, Jonny Brodzinski, and Strome to cap the period and give the Rangers a 3-2 lead. It was Brodzinski’s first goal of the season.
Carolina got a goal from a Trade Deadline acquisition when Mattias Ekholm scored in the first period to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead. Aatti Raanta took the loss, while Igor Shesterkin made 24 saves and notched his 29th victory of the season.
The Rangers (37-23-13, 87 points) will go into their April 12 battle against Carolina after dropping six of their last seven games and falling to fifth in the standings. Carolina now holds the second position, three points ahead of New York. While remaining seven points safe from 9th-place Detroit, the Rangers would still like to earn home-advantage for the 1st-round of the playoffs. Side note…. Toronto (105 points) locked down a playoff berth and are set to finish with the most points in the league.
AS IT STANDS…
The Rangers earned an important win at Madison Square Garden by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 3-1. A loss would have allowed the Sabres to move above New York in the East standings. Both of the Rangers Trade Deadline acquisitions notched goals to fuel the win — Alexander Radulov (2nd period goal to tie game 1-1), and Nick Cousins (3rd period goal to put NYR on top 2-1). Igor Shesterkin made his second start after returning from injury and made 20 saves. Sabres Jeff Eichel was kept from the scoring column after five shot attempts.
AS IT STANDS…
1 Toronto Maple Leafs (96 pts)
2 New York Rangers (83 pls)
3 Carolina Hurricanes (80 pts)
4 Buffalo Sabres (79 pts)
5 Florida Panthers (78 pts)
The Rangers (81 points, 2nd place) held home ice in a 3-1 win over the Penguins, a team vying for a playoff spot in the East. Kappo Kakko scored a late goal to secure the win which comes after New York lost 4-1 to New Jersey and fell to third place in the standings. Recently acquired Nick Cousins scored his first goal for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin returned for his first game after being on the injured list.
Igor Shesterkin (26-13-6, .906 SV%, 2.54 GAA) should return to the team by March 28 after missing time with a strained hamstring. New York will face a hungry Sabres and Penguins team before he returns. Both clubs are in the hunt for the playoffs. Until then, Alexander Georgiev will sit in net. He’s played 19 games and have a save percentage of .902 and a GAA of 2.90. Buffalo is averaging 3.21 GFPG, and Pittsburgh is averaging 3.13. The Rangers have no other injuries.
KEY GAMES DOWN THE STRETCH
The Rangers will be tested down the stretch as they try and hold on to their top four position which would give them home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They’ll face clubs who are within distance of over-taking them for that very privilege. The Hurricanes begin one point being New York and the Sabres just three points behind. A game against the Islanders on April 21 might have consequences if the Islanders have a chance of moving into the eighth playoff spot.
