The Rangers are gearing up for a big matchup with the Jets at The Garden on Tuesday night, looking to pull even with the Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division. With six games to go, there is still a chance for plenty of movement in terms of playoff seeding, even with each team currently locked in to making the postseason.
With plenty to still be figured out in terms of seeding and first-round matchups, what should Rangers fans be rooting for as the regular season sprints toward the finish line?
First, how things stand now: New York, currently second in the Metro behind Carolina, would face the Penguins, the third-place team in the division, in the first round of the playoffs. This would seem like an optimal matchup for the Rangers, who have won three straight against Pittsburgh after falling 1-0 in their first meeting back in February. Since that loss, there was a 5-1 manhandling at The Garden in March, a 3-2 win in Pittsburgh, and a dominant 3-0 shutout earlier this month back in New York that saw Igor Shesterkin wave goodbye to the Penguins after blanking them on the ice.
That 3-0 win sent Pittsburgh to a third straight loss in a streak that would reach four before an overtime win over Nashville last week. But Pittsburgh has managed just one regulation victory in its last 10 games, and in that time, the Capitals have heated up and now trail the Penguins by just one point with a game in hand. It has become very possible that New York could meet Washington in the first round, a team that has won six of its last seven games, scoring four goals or more in five of those victories to average five goals per game in that span. The Blueshirts would lean heavily on Shesterkin to try and neutralize that offensive firepower, something he did back in February when he stopped 36 shots in a 4-1 Rangers win. Other than that matchup, the Rangers have only played the Capitals on opening night, when they were thoroughly outplayed in a 5-1 loss. The two teams will play again in the regular season finale on April 29.
Now, what if the Rangers jump the Hurricanes to take first place in the Metro? They would then play the top Wild Card team, as the Panthers will likely finish with the top overall spot in the conference with their 114 points (the Canes are at 106, the Rangers 104). If the Rangers win the division, as things stand right now, they would meet the Bruins, who have the worst goal differential among playoff teams in the Eastern Conference. They also have the fewest goals scored among playoff teams in the East at 232, but that is only three less than the Rangers, so that series could turn into a grind with the Rangers holding the clear advantage in net thanks to Shesterkin.
Boston's goal-scoring troubles have shown in its two games against New York so far this season, netting just three total goals in a pair of losses, the first a 5-2 defeat in Boston, and the next a shootout loss at The Garden, which went to nine rounds after Shesterkin logged 31 saves. The two teams will meet again in Boston on Saturday.
With the Bruins just one point ahead of the Capitals for the top Wild Card spot, it's also very possible that the Capitals finish in the first Wild Card spot if the Penguins hang on to third place in the Metro, meaning there are multiple different scenarios where the Rangers would meet Washington in the first round. But New York likely wouldn't mind facing Pittsburgh and having the standings finish as they stand right now.
In the Atlantic Division, the Lightning hold third place over Boston, which is three points behind. That's hardly an insurmountable deficit, which could result in Tampa Bay falling into a Wild Card spot as well. That would be relevant to the Rangers, who swept the Lightning in the three games they played this season, a pair of one-goal battles and one dominant 4-0 shutout at The Garden.
Per PlayoffStatus.com, the Rangers are most likely to keep their second-place spot in the division, with the Penguins and Capitals as their most likely first-round opponents, at 38 and 36 percent, respectively.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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