Is it possible to lose and win? That's what many believe happened last night with the Rangers falling 4-1 to the Islanders. By virtue of that loss, the Blueshirts now sit seventh in the conference. Based on that placement, the Rangers project to face Florida it the first round as they sit in the Atlantic bracket, which on paper looks easier than the Metro bracket. But be careful what you wish for, you just may get it. The Islanders are now tied with the Rangers with a game in hand, and as of now, would take on Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs.
The seedings are not yet set in stone. If the Rangers defeat the Red Wings on Saturday, and they are fighting for their playoff life, the Isles may need three points in their last two games to hold onto third in the Metro. ROW, and not head-to-head record, is the first tiebreaker and right now, the Rangers have a 42-40 edge in that column. You would think the Isles should win Saturday against Buffalo but Sunday's game against Philly will not be easy, given where the Flyers are in the standings. So for all the talk about 'tanking' rather than focusing on how well the team plays heading into the playoffs, the Isles could scuttle the plans to face Florida by how well they play this weekend. With Halak, Hamonic, Clutterbuck, Martin and now Lee out, that happening is not a major stretch.
Heading into the game, home ice in the first round was still mildly in play for the Rangers. Of course, Pittsburgh's overtime win removed that possibility, but that was not the case when the game started. So the Rangers had something to play for, even though the likelihood of that occurring was remote. I thought the Rangers played pretty well the first 30 or so minutes. The advanced metrics show that they dominated shots on goal but that isn't a completely accurate representation of the game. The Blueshirts were better than they were against Columbus and Tampa Bay, though that still doesn't mean they played at the level they need to be at come playoff time.
That last sentence in the prior paragraph is the key. The goal now has to be playing at a level that allows you to win in the playoffs. They are not there yet. Plus, at 2-3-1 in their last six, it's not as if the Rangers head into the postseason on a high and at the top of their game. So while on the face of it, the Rangers played well enough, it still wasn't good enough, even if you hold by the belief they won by losing.
The Isles first goal, which resulted it from Marek Zidlicky's point shot getting tipped by Shane Prince and then defecting in off Kevin Klein seemed to take some steam from the Blueshirts. If that steam was releasing like a pinprick in a balloon, that balloon bust in a quick sequence later. Thomas Greiss robbed JT Miller, then in typical Rangers fashion, three players followed Prince around the net, allowing Casey Cizikas to steam straight to the front of the net unimpeded to beat Henrik Lundqvist. The third goal came on the power play, as Frans Nielsen was left open at the doorstep to put home John Tavares' beautiful feed. Game over.
If someone would have told you in mid-November that Lundqvist would get pulled EIGHT times this year, you would have told them to stop drinking. Yet, that's where we are. Even after his brilliant start, Lundqvist was pulled a career-high EIGHT times. That number is more of a condemnation of the defense in front of him rather than an indictment of Lundqvist. If these issues aren't fixed, and to count on a 180-degree turn coming in general and occurring just because it's the playoffs, may be a misplacement of your faith. I hope it can happen but let's just say I am not counting on it.
The Rangers may have won by losing but that doesn't mean they are in the clear.
Playoff Picture :
Starting with 10 games to go, scoreboard watching became the sport inside of the sport. As of the end of games April 7, the Rangers, who have one games left after their loss to the Isles on Thursday, sit fourth in the division and seventh in the conference, 45-27-9 with 99 points. When I do a recap or game preview blog, I will include this at the bottom of the blog. However, on non-game/recap days, I will run this daily since this is a huge topic of conversation and a large component of our focus.
Thursday, Pitt beat Washington which locked up home ice for them in the first round. Boston beat Detroit and Philly lost to Toronto in overtime, putting the last two seeds in flux. Plus, Tampa beat NJ. With three days left, Saturday is a key date with each team's remaining game, save for Isles-Philly on Sunday, having an impact on standings placement for the post-season, depending on who wins first and second round matchups. Friday: Direct - none. Indirect (overall standings) - none. Saturday: Direct - Isles-Sabres along with Rangers-Red Wings. Indirect (overall standings) - Pitt-Philly, TB-Mtl. Sunday - Direct - Isles-Flyers.
Division:
Washington locked up the division and top seed in the conference with their win over Ottawa on March 22.
Pittsburgh- defeated Washington 4-3 in overtime on Thursday for their ninth straight win. 9-1-0 in last 10, second in the division, home ice in first round locked. (played 41 games at home, 40 on road, none left at home, one on road)
NYI- 4-1 win over Rangers on Thursday for third straight win, 7-3-0 in last 10, one game in hand and two points ahead of the Rangers, in third place in Metro. Three points in last two games locks up that spot. (played 39 games at home, 41 on road, two left at home, none on road)
Philly- lost 4-3 in overtime to Toronto on Thursday. 5-3-2 their last 10, one game in hand on the Rangers, eight points behind NY. One point behind Boston and/or Detroit for eighth place in conference and Second Wild Card spot but the Flyers have a game in hand. Philly trails Boston by two ROW but can't catch Detroit. (played 40 games at home, 40 on road, one left at home, one on road)
Conference (teams with a reasonable shot at the playoffs. Right now, three team race for division with Detroit looming).
Florida has 101 points with one game left and have locked up first in the Atlantic with 101 points to Tampa's 97. Florida is 6-4-0 in last 10, having played 40 games at home and 41 on the road. One game left at home and none on the road.
Tampa Bay has 97 points with one games left and are 6-4-0 in their last 10, having played 41 games at home and 40 on the road. No games left at home and one game on the road.
Detroit - lost 5-2 to Boston on Thursday but still retain third place in the Atlantic due to a higher ROW. 6-4-0 in last 10. Tied with Boston in points, each having played 81 games, while Philly is a point behind with a game in hand. (played 41 games at home, 40 on road, none left at home, one on road.
Boston beat Detroit 5-2 on Thursday to move back into Second Wild Card spot. They are now 3-6-1 in last 10. Tied with Detroit in points, each having played 81 games, but behind them due to ROW, while Philly is a point behind with a game in hand. The Bruins have played 40 games at home and 41 on the road. One game left at home and none on the road.
Summary: After a disappointing road trip, a solid win at home against the Panthers followed by one over Boston, a victory in Montreal, overtime loss to Pittsburgh and defeat by Carolina. Home loss to Buffalo, then playoff clinching win in Columbus and rally to beat Tampa on Tuesday. Loss to the Isles on Thursday could help playoff positioning but not optimal way to go into postseason.
In order:
3/21- Fla - win 4-2 3/23 - Bos - win 5-2 3/26 - @Mtl - win 5-2 3/27 - Pit - lost 3-2 in overtime 3/31 - @Car - lost 4-3 4/2 - Buf - lost 4-3 4/4 - @CBJ - won 4-2 4/5 - TB - won 3-2 4/7 - NYI - lost 4-1 4/9 - Det