Thursday night was a historic night for Mika Zibanejad and the New York Rangers. Not only did Zibanejad score five goals, but the fifth goal scored was an overtime game-winner that gave the Blueshirts two critical points in their chase for a playoff spot. They are just two points away and are easily within striking distance of the team’s first postseason berth since 2017.
Islanders and Hurricanes are faltering as the New York Rangers are surging
It’s been the perfect scenario for the Rangers, getting white-hot and quite literally every team in direct competition with them starting to crumble for a variety of reasons. The Islanders still have a decent hold on a Wild Card spot but have been one of the league’s worst teams since their early-season point streak came to an end in late November. Most recently, they have won just two of their past 11 games and take a five-game losing streak into Saturday’s game with the Hurricanes. And the Hurricanes, they have some struggles of their own. They are still playing without both of their regular goalies, Petr Mrazek and James Reimer, and have lost four in a row since they left the lineup. EBUG goalie David Ayres is still actually the last goalie to secure a win.
The Rangers win on Thursday night ended a three-game losing streak for them. They recently lost games against the playoff-bound Philadelphia Flyers and the defending champion St. Louis Blues, a sharp halt in the momentum built in February, when the Rangers won 12 of 15 games. The road ahead is still rough because after facing the Devils on Saturday, the Rangers will play nine of their last 14 games on the road. Rangers Coach David Quinn said, “that his young squad will get a primer on the rigors of a playoff chase.” Which is what the Rangers were really hoping for at the very least.
After signing Chris Kreider at the trade deadline, making a run for the playoffs was what President John Davidson had in mind. “We want them to go through the experience of a chase down the stretch for the playoffs. It’s very important for young people and veteran players,â€
Go back to the start of February and the Rangers were 10 points back of the Islanders and seven points back of both the Hurricanes and Panthers. The odds are still a little bit against them, but the fact they are even in the race at this point is a remarkable accomplishment.