The NHL will extend the end of the regular season from May 8 to May 11 which could impact a trip to the post-season for the New York Rangers.
The New York Rangers and Boston Bruins were supposed to conclude their regular season in a two-game set in Boston on May 6 and May 8. The NHL was forced to reschedule several games due to the pandemic which could force the Blueshirts to sit and watch the Bruins play their final two games in hopes of making the playoffs.
In an announcement made by the National Hockey League on Sunday, 19 games were rescheduled extending the season’s conclusion by three days.
Rescheduled Games
NEW YORK (March 28, 2021) – The National Hockey League today announced the following updates to the 2020-21 regular-season schedule:
Game 498, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for March 22, is now scheduled for March 30 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 714, Washington at Boston, scheduled for April 20, is now scheduled for April 11 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 686, Calgary at Montreal, scheduled for April 16 at 7 p.m. ET, will now start at 6 p.m. ET
Game 546, Ottawa at Montreal, scheduled for March 28, is now scheduled for April 17 at 4 p.m. ET
Game 483, Boston at Buffalo, scheduled for March 20, is now scheduled for April 20 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 726, Toronto at Winnipeg, scheduled for April 21 at 8 p.m. ET, will now start at 7 p.m. ET
Game 721, Montreal at Edmonton, scheduled for April 20, is now scheduled for April 21 at 10 p.m. ET
Game 736, Montreal at Calgary, scheduled for April 22, is now scheduled for April 23 at 9 p.m. ET
Game 761, Montreal at Calgary, scheduled for April 26 at 10 p.m. ET, will now start at 6:30 p.m. ET
Game 760, Edmonton at Winnipeg scheduled for April 26 at 8 p.m. ET, will now start at 9 p.m. ET
Game 564, Montreal at Ottawa, scheduled for March 30, is now scheduled for May 5 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 847, Montreal at Toronto, scheduled for May 7, is now scheduled for May 6 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 510, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for March 24, is now scheduled for May 10 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Game 841, Tampa Bay at Florida, scheduled for May 6, is now scheduled for May 10 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 529: NY Islanders at Boston, scheduled for March 23, is now scheduled for May 10 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 833, Toronto at Ottawa, scheduled for May 5, is now scheduled for May 10 at 8 p.m. ET
Game 456, St. Louis at Los Angeles, scheduled for March 15, is now scheduled for May 10 at 10 p.m. ET
Game 526, Edmonton at Montreal, scheduled for March 26, is now scheduled for May 11 at 7 p.m. ET
Game 653, Boston at Washington, scheduled for April 11, is now scheduled for May 11 at 7 p.m. ET
*Schedule via NHL Media
The two games that most affect the Rangers will take place on May 10 and May 11. The two games would be against the division leaders (as of now) with four valuable points up for grabs.
As of Monday night, the Rangers sit in sixth place in the MassMutual East Division five points behind the fourth-place Bruins who also have three games in hand.
With 22 games remaining in the season, The Rangers can ill afford to lose many games along the way to wrap up the 2020-2021 season. With the three games in hand now plus the two late makeup games, the Blueshirts are potentially looking at a 10 point differential which may be too much to overcome.
Follow Frank on Twitter at @RangerProud.