Rangers resist urge to look too far ahead

Although there is increasing discussion among the Rangers faithful about potential first-round playoff matchups, remember the old saying: "You're not really out of the woods until you're out of the woods." Coach John Tortorella has said the team "can't exhale," and no further evidence is needed than Tuesday's 1-0 squeaker against the Florida Panthers. A bad bounce or a deflection could have cost the Rangers (40-30-4, 84) a precious point or two in the standings.

Instead, they remained in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, six points clear of the ninth-place Carolina Hurricanes, who have a game in hand but appear to have a tougher schedule in the final weeks. They face Tampa three times and Washington, Montreal, Detroit and Buffalo.

With four wins in their final eight games, the Rangers would reach 92 points, generally considered the Eastern Conference cutoff for the postseason this year. Last year, when the Rangers, with 87 points, were eliminated on the final day of the season in Philadelphia, the Canadiens and Flyers squeezed in with 88. The Rangers have nine more points than last season after 74 games, so there is reason for optimism.

The next hurdle is the game with the Ottawa Senators Thursday at the Garden, where the Rangers have won four straight to lift their home record to a more respectable 18-16-3. The Blueshirts have won two of three from the Senators, who are last in the East and 14-18-4 on the road.

Defenseman Marc Staal, who has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury -- believed to be a sore left knee -- was described by Tortorella as "day-to-day," and could return Thursday or against the Bruins in Boston on Saturday.

The Bruins, as well as the two other top three teams in the East, the Flyers and Capitals, are the likeliest matchups for the Rangers in the first round. The Rangers are 1-1 against the Bruins, and haven't seen them since Nov. 17. Boston has the best goaltending of the three teams.

The Flyers had beaten the Rangers four times in a row before the Rangers rebounded with a 7-0 whipping at Madison Square Garden on March 6. The teams play again April 3 in Philadelphia.

SEE PHOTOSTop 10 Rangers playoff moments

The Capitals, who are resting Alex Ovechkin for a few games, lost their last three matchups with the Rangers by a combined 15-3, after winning 5-3 on Nov. 9.

But you throw out the regular-season numbers, of course, when or if the Rangers really are out of the woods.