An enmity. A strong dislike. A hatred if you will. Teams with a playoff history against each other have each of those, likely leaning towards the hate. If those teams are in the same division or conference, that hate is likely ratcheted up a few notches. Tonight, the Rangers and Blue Jackets get to create their own level of hate.
In the past with both teams in separate conferences and the inter-mingling of teammates due to the trades between both squads, that level of hatred was a 1-2 on a scale of 10. Now, with both teams in the same division, and obviously conference, and buffeted by the inter-mingling of players, that hatred will move up the dial to a 5-6. If they meet in a game that decides who makes or sits home from the playoffs, that hatred level will go to a 7-8 and escalate to to a 9-10 if they actually meet in the post-season.
To me, as I wrote yesterday, the discussions about Rick Nash back in Columbus for first time since trade are a bit overblown due to the length of time that has elapsed since the deal. Granted, it has to be talked about and it's possible Nash gets booed for wanting to leave, but given the focus on the playoff battle, expect it to be a sidelight not major story initially Of course, Nash, as any top athlete will tell you, would want to show his worth and prove that he is an elite player in the league, though he won't say that publicly. After the game, partially based on the result and the role Nash plays in it, it will be brought up even more, but you could say the same about Dubinsky, Anisimov, Brassard and Moore given the role each of them play on their respective teams.
Lineup:
(no lineup changes tonight, though many of us would like to see Raphael Diaz in for Anton Stralman, but AV is going with same six on the blueline. Benoit Pouliot made it back to Columbus following the birth of his child - congratulations - and will play tonight
Late update: Dorsett in for Carcillo, another one of these why make a change now coming off a win).
RANGERS:
Kreider – Stepan – Nash St. Louis – Brassard – Zuccarello Hagelin – Richards – Pouliot Boyle – Moore – Carcillo
McDonagh – Girardi Staal – Stralman Moore – Klein
Henrik Lundqvist (starting) Cam Talbot
BLUE JACKETS
Boone Jenner-Ryan Johansen-Nathan Horton Matt Calvert-Brandon Dubinsky-Cam Atkinson Nick Foligno-Artem Anisimov-Corey Tropp Derek MacKenzie-Mark Letestu-Blake Comeau. Fedor Tyutin-James Wisniewski Jack Johnson-Dalton Prout Nikita Nikitin-David Savard. Sergei Bobrovsky
The Playoff Race:
with 12 more games to go, scoreboard watching has now become the sport inside of the sport, as the Rangers sit fourth in the division, 37-29-4 with 78 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.
Yesterday, the Rangers got little help at all, and in fact, were actually hurt by the results on the ice, as I will spell out team by team below.
Division:
Philly- won 4-2 over Dallas on 3/20, four straight victories, 7-2-1 last 10, one games in hand on the Rangers, three point up on NY, in second place. (played 35 games at home, 34 on road, six left at home, seven on road)
Columbus - won 3-1 over Montreal on 3/20 , 7-2-1 in last 10, one game in hand, moved into third in division with game in hand. (played 34 games at home, 35 on road, seven left at home, six on road)
Washington - lost 2-1 in shootout to LA on 3/20, 4-4-2 last 10, played one more game and is one point behind NY . (played 36 games at home, 35 on road, five left at home, six on road)
New Jersey - won 4-2 in overtime over Minnesota on 3/20, 5-5-0 last 10, no games in hand, seven points behind NY. (played 33 games at home, 37 on road, eight left at home, four on road)
Carolina - 3-1 win over Columbus on Tuesday, 4-6-0 last 10, one game in hand, nine points behind NY. (played 36 games at home, 33 on road, five left at home, eight on road)
Conference (teams within 10 either way, as Boston has a lock of Atlantic division, with second, third and wild cards up for grabs)
Tampa Bay - second in Atlantic, won five in a row, including 5-4 over Ottawa on 3/20, 5-3-2 last 10, one game in hand on Rangers, five points up on Rangers. (played 33 games at home, 36 on road, eight left at home, five on road)
Montreal - third in Atlantic, lost 3-1 to Columbus, 5-5-0 last 10, played one more game and are five points up on Rangers. (played 37 games at home, 34 on road, four left at home, seven on road)
Toronto - fourth place in Atlantic, lost three in a row, including 5-3 to Tampa on 3/19, 4-5-1 last 10, played one more game than the Rangers, two points up on Rangers, first wild card. (played 35 games at home, 36 on road, six left at home, five on road)
Detroit - fifth place in Atlantic, won 5-4 in a shootout over Pittsburgh on 3/20, 5-4-1 last 10, one game in hand, one point point behind the Rangers. (played 35 games at home, 34 on road, six left at home, seven on road)
Ottawa - sixth place in Atlantic, lost two in a row, 2-6-2 last 10, two games in hand, nine points behind the Rangers. (played 33 games at home, 35 on road, eight left at home, six on road)
Summary: Two huge games upcoming, at Columbus on Friday and New Jersey on Saturday. Friday's game could play a big role in determining divisional placement and standing in the Wild Card race, as Columbus' win yesterday has the Blue Jackets in third in the division and the Rangers now in the second Wild Card spot. Remaining games overall are seven on the road and five at home. Huge west coast swing from 3/28 to 4/3. Last three of four at MSG. The Rangers are going to get no help from others, so they will need to keep winning in order to make the post-season.
In order:
3/21- @ CMB 3/22 - @NJ 3/24 - Phx 3/26 - Phi 3/28 - @Cgy 3/30 - @Edm 4/1 - @Van 4/3 - @Col 4/5 - Ott 4/8 - Car 4/10 - Buf 4/12 - @Mtl