Rangers already passing playoff tests down the stretch
Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates his goal with Mika Zibanejad against the Detroit Red Wings in the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 5, 2024, in Detroit. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
Five games remain for the Rangers in the regular season. But if it were up to them, they would skip them and start the playoffs right now. They’re ready.
They know they’re ready because they’ve been tested and they’ve passed. Down the stretch, they have faced off against some of the NHL’s best teams — Florida twice, Carolina, Boston, Colorado, Winnipeg, Tampa Bay — as well as teams fighting for their playoff lives: Pittsburgh, the Islanders, Philadelphia, the Devils and, on Friday, a desperate Detroit Red Wings team that was a point out of a playoff spot and badly in need of a win.
And they’ve won most of those games, going 12-4-1 since the beginning of March.
On Friday, they dictated play for most of the game in a 4-3 win that dealt a blow to the Red Wings. Yes, they took two early leads and gave them back, and yes, they fell behind in the middle of the second period. But ultimately, they did what they have done so often this season — they found a way to win.
They got two goals from defense-first forward Barclay Goodrow, the second of which tied the score 25 seconds after they’d fallen behind 3-2. They got the game-winner on a timely power-play goal by Chris Kreider midway through the third period, and they got 31 saves from backup goaltender Jonathan Quick, the winningest American-born goaltender in NHL history.
The victory improved their record to 52-21-4 and brought them within one win of tying the franchise record of 53 set in 2014-15. It also opened a three-point lead over Dallas and Boston in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy while keeping them five points ahead of second-place Carolina in the battle for the Metropolitan Division title.
As important as all that is, the win showed that the Rangers — fully healthy now with defensemen Jacob Trouba and Erik Gustafsson back in the lineup — are clicking just as the playoffs arrive. These types of tests have been helpful, they all say.
“You’re playing teams that are fighting for their lives. You don’t have a choice but to get up and be ready to play, because you know these teams are ready to go,’’ Trouba said Friday. “We pretty much have that all the way in. So that’s probably good for us to keep our level high and make sure we’re preparing for the games that we need to.’’
“When a team is grinding and clawing their way to try to get into the playoffs, you see the best version of that team,’’ Goodrow said. “And I think we’ve seen that a lot lately. We’ll see it down the stretch [this week] and you know, it definitely helps prepare us to up our game and our intensity and get us ready for playoffs.’’
They will get a reprieve of sorts on Sunday when they host a Montreal Canadiens team that is out of the playoff chase. But the rest of the week, they have games against the Islanders on Tuesday, the Flyers on Thursday, and the Islanders on Saturday.
The tests continue, but the Rangers have shown they’re ready for them.
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.
