Surging Rangers hope to make playoff race interesting
Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers is congratulated by Marc Staal after a win over the Blackhawks at the United Center on Wednesday in Chicago. Credit: Getty Images/Jonathan Daniel
RALEIGH, N.C. — With 23 games left in the regular season — including two before Monday’s NHL trade deadline — the Rangers are a long shot to make the playoffs, but by no means are they out of it. And that is creating a positive vibe inside a locker room that was not the happiest place the previous two springs.
“Where we are, seeing what’s going on ahead of us, some teams are losing, and it’s an opportunity to make up some ground and make it interesting,’’ defenseman and alternate captain Marc Staal said after Wednesday night’s 6-3 road win over the Blackhawks. “You want to play meaningful hockey right down to the end. It’s no fun, the last two years, playing it out. It’s awful. I just don’t think anybody here wants to do that. So we’re starting to string some wins together.’’
The Rangers, who have won five of their last six games, are 31-24-4 (66 points) and are within six points of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Six points out with 23 games to play may not seem that far back, but given the number of teams that are ahead of the Rangers, as well as the possibility of three-point games in which teams that lose a game in overtime or a shootout still earn a point, it’s a bigger gap than it may seem.
One of the teams ahead of the Rangers is the Hurricanes, whom the Rangers will visit Friday. Carolina is tied with the Islanders with 72 points, one fewer than the Blue Jackets, who currently hold the first wild card, and three fewer than the Flyers, who are in third place in the Metropolitan Division (the Flyers beat the Blue Jackets, 4-3, in overtime on Thursday). The Panthers, who lost to the Kings, 5-4, in Los Angeles on Thursday night, have 70 points.
“Our guys are excited about the game Friday night because it’s going to be a playoff-type game for us in a lot of ways,” Rangers coach David Quinn said Wednesday.
A win by the Rangers theoretically could convince general manager Jeff Gorton to hold on to some pieces he might be considering trading at the deadline. Gorton will have to make a decision over the weekend whether to sign or trade pending unrestricted free agent Chris Kreider by Monday. But there are other players Gorton could choose to keep now and decide later if he wants to trade them (Tony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Alexandar Georgiev, to name a few) in the summer.
Kreider, who all season has been the biggest name among those players expected to be dealt at the deadline, has ignored all the noise and managed to put together an outstanding season. He scored his 24th goal Wednesday and has 45 points (his career high is 53) in 58 games.
“It’s been impressive to watch the way he’s handled himself around the room and the way he’s played on the ice,’’ Staal said. “I’ve known Chris a long time and he’s a very introspective person and he takes a lot of pride in his game and helping his teammates. And he’s done an incredible job of that this year.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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