Rangers no longer control own destiny

Doomsday

scenarioThe Rangers no longer control their own destiny because of the NHL's new tiebreaker system.

If teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, the first tiebreaker is non-shootout wins; therefore shootout wins are subtracted from the win total (in regulation and overtime).

Both the Rangers, who have 91 points, and Carolina, with 89, have 34 of those wins.

The second tiebreaker, if necessary, is head-to-head and Carolina has the edge there with six points to four in the four games between the teams.

So the Rangers would have to end the season with more points than the Hurricanes to get into the postseason.

The Rangers host the Devils Saturday afternoon; the Hurricanes visit Atlanta Friday and finish the regular season at home against Tampa Bay Saturday.