Should the Hurricanes beat the Capitals in regulation tonight in D.C., the idle Rangers would clinch a playoff spot for the third consecutive year.
A loss by Alex Ovechkin & Co. would mean that the max points the surprising Caps, with 88 points, could reach is 92. A Washington win or a point against Carolina forces the Rangers to grab at least a point at the old barn known as the Nassau Coliseum on Thursday or at home on Friday. (Two points in regulation for Carolina also would secure the Sourtheast Conference title and third place in the East.)
Naturally, the Rangers would like to wrap things up as quickly as possible and keep winning to secure fourth place and home-ice advantage. Henrik Lundqvist seems increasingly comfortable at MSG, where he has 24 of his 36 wins.
So all this is still developing. Much depends on the fourth-place Devils, who have the tie-breaker in wins and a game in hand on the Rangers. New Jersey squares off against the Islanders tonight, so Rangers fans might want to set aside any hostile feelings for the Islanders, at least for a few hours
With three games left, the Rangers cannot reach the century mark in points, and at this juncture, odds are that they will face either Ottawa or the Devils in the first round of the playoffs, but still could finish sixth and visit Carolina or possibly Washington next week when the post-season begins.
Look for more on this later, and in my weekly Rangers Insider tomorrow...
Comments (19)
Have you seen the Capitals lately? This team is as hot as a pistol. They played their last six games on the road and didn't miss a beat. They are not just Ovechkin. Green, the draft choice they got for Gonchar, is a dynamite rushing defenceman, Federov is still one of the best defensive forwards in the league and smart as a whip, and Huet is giving them grade A goaltending. With Brashear, Cooke and Erskine they have grit to spare. On the other hand Carolina is also sizzling and Cam Ward is in Cup form. This is going to be a game and a half, but with that home ice advantage I can't see the Caps letting this one get away. It could be that both teams will make the playoffs and they will be tough. The Rangers are going to have to do it on their own but if they play like they played last night, it should be feasible.
Carolina and Was have the opp to both make the playoffs and it is both Philly and Bos who could have a problem as both could lose 2 of 3 and one ofthem could be on the outside. Would rather see Carolina beat Was tonight and have Was miss the playoffs. The most dangerous team in playoffs could be Was if they get in. Although after watching how the Rangers were able to limit Pens offensive opps and shots on goal I beleive they would be able to shut down Caps as well. Ovechkin is a monster but he is the one to focus on, Pens have some omre scoring depth and certainly a much more dangerous 3 lines than Caps. Of course Pens are always hard to beat if you let them score goals on offsides plays as well. Certainly they don't need help from the linesmen as well
Washington is hot now. Fighting and looking to have some kind of pride in signing 100 million dollar player and not making the playoffs. Washington is the worst hockey town ever! The Caps are on the brink of greatness and they aren't even mentioned in the paper. A.O. brakes 100 points and he gets a little tiny blurb. That city has something to be proud of for a change and they're letting it pass by without so much as a mention.
But A.O will keep them in D.C. as long as he can. McPhee on the other hand is a cheap two bit huslter looking to save face in the eyes of the NHL. It's so bad down there in D.C. you could compare them to the Icelenders. just another joke franchise.
Washington misses the playoffs, drops the ball in July and wastes it's draft pick, yet again, to only miss the playoffs again next season.
Carolina on the other hand has class.
Which ever way the cookie crumbles, Washington would be heaven sent as a Rangers first round match up. They're D is weak, they have no depth and the coach is a temp.
Screw the caps and whoever else gets in our way too.
Nothing could help the Icelanders sell tickets! Except when the Rangers are playing there.
I know something that will help the Islanders sell tickets.
Moving them to Hamilton. Can't take the credit for this idea, I heard it from Wang himself.
The PP sucks first of all because of Jagr running it his style where nobody goes in front of the net and they just cycle until they lose the puck. A good coach whould pull a plug on such PP 3 years ago, but not our idiot. The offense sucks because for most of the season players that were playing best were getting little icetime, while players that were getting paid the most getting a lot of icetime and on top of that really bad line combos. A good coach rewards players that perform well by increasing their icetime and PP time, while decreasing those that are playing bad and constantly turn the puck over, but not our idiot, in fact many times a player had a great game just to be scratched or sent down the next(Prucha, Baranka, etc.). A good coach takes notes which players have chemistry with each other and which players don't, but not our idiot. A good coach would never play a 4th line in the 3rd period when down 1 or 2 goals, but not our idiot which is actually the most incompetent and clueless thing I've seen a coach do, especially considering who was on the 4th line. A good coach would not play a whole line of completely one-dimensional players(Hollweg--hitting, Betts--PK, Orr--fighting), but not our idiot and his fans are loving it. All 3 are useless. A good coach wouldn't go with a garbage over the hill vet like Rucchin over good all around mature young player like Immonen. A good coach wouldn't go with useless player who he likes over a much better player who he doesn't like as much(Strudwick/Pock). And it goes on and on and on.
Bob,
I do agree with you on one thing, it does go on, and on and on and on and on.
Do you just have this post saved somewhere and cut and paste it everytime?
OMG do you say the same crap over and over and over.
We are set as center for the next 5 years at least with Gomez, Drury and Dubinsky and Bob is talking about Steve Rucchin.
How do you type with a straight jacket on though? It's amazing.
dude, msg, tj, help me out.
was out of town last night until 3rd period. i watched 3rd period, and once game was geeting close to OT / SO, they showed shanny come to the bench (assumingly from the locker room), as if he hadn't been there all night. did he dress last night? get hurt? not play regular shift? curious to know....
(sorry if it was posted elsewhere)
Didn't Jagr have 25 PP goals last year? Wasn't that some kind of team record? Anyone?
they said Shanny had a lower body injury and wouldnt return for the remainer of this game. Well, when it went to OT, they showed Shanny returning to the bench.
Zip can't you do something about all this garbage thats being posted. This is so rediculous to have to go through this crap to try and find a hockey post. You guys all suck!
You want to know why this is happening Vincea. Ask your friends Jim from Woodbury, #1, and Dude.
Go read our blog which is normally filled with very intelligent hockey fans. Those three complete morons ruined it!
PAYBACK !
Islander Fan, so those morons in your words ruined your site so the rest of the Rangers fans have to suffer? I guess that makes sense some where. I'm sorry we both have to suffer with this crap!!!!!
Islanders fan is actually Ceasar who I was having a conversation with late last night.
He is very very angry that I exposed his lack of hockey knowledge.
Other than that, I am the biggest Islander fan in the world tonight!
Lets go Isles!!!!
Can the icies actually do something good tonight?
Hey Upstate NY Shanny was out for a few minutes of the 2nd and all of 3rd with what was referred to as a lower body problem. Since he was on the bench for OT and probably would have skated if there was a shoot out, one can assume that this injury was minor. He should skate in Isles games, yet how he next two days go will probably determine the need. As to the Isles I really don't think they can generate any offense against the Rangers and Dubi in goal is not going to be a mjor threat, the Rangers should sweep the non interested Isles even in games that have the so called rivalary aspect. When the season is over it's over and the Isles are marking time, especially seeing that Wnag may show Teddy the door. If Teddy is on way out the locker room has ceased to worry about next season. I don't buy into the Isles wanting to hurt Rangers chances baloney, most of the Isels are thinking about staying healthy and getting ready for next season, these guys are done.
bow down to my hockey knowledge. bow down at my feet. my hockey knowledge is superior to thy hockey knowledge. i adopted renney when he was a young orphan and taught him the ways of hockey, but alas, he has strayed from my perfect teachings and implemented a flawed style that has lead only to three consecutive playoff berths.... if he had stayed loyal to my hockey philosophies not only would the rangers have won the stanley cup the past three seasons... they would have easily won the nba, nfl and mlb championships as well. for my knowledge is transcendent. BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP ME!!!!
as bob goes so go the :
(crikets) and (cookoos)
All you mavens over here with your playoff opponent forecasts and musings about which teams will ultimately make it in, are ignorantly overlooking the one team that right now is looking REALLY shaky in the standings.
OTTAWA.
They have 2 games left and NEITHER of those games will be easy.
Road game against TOR, and one would HOPE that Toronto would like nothing better than to hurt their provincial rivals any way they can.
Winding up with a home game against BOS, a team which will also be facing a MUST win game.
And Ottawa has not been playing like a team that realizes their future depends on winning these games of late....more like a team that is playing these games while wearing depends.
You read it here first.