Rangers Have No One But Themselves to Blame If They Miss the Playoffs

It's come down to this: the New York Rangers currently sit two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Each team has seven games left in the regular season. While the Rangers own the tie breaker by virtue of having more regulation wins, they have the tougher schedule. If the Habs go just 5-2, the Blueshirts would have to go 6-1 to make the playoffs. A herculean task to be sure, but one which they brought on themselves. 

There's no easy way to put this: if the Rangers fail to make the playoffs, they will have no but themselves to blame. Throughout the season, they have had more than enough opportunities to move up in the standings. Having gone through a hellish December in which they went 3-12-0, they began to turn things around in January. After an inspiring 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on January 11, New York had finally clawed its way back to the .500 mark.

But they were never able to build any momentum. They'd win two in a row, then lose a game; they'd win another two in a row, followed by another loss; they'd win two more in a row, only to lose three in a row. The last time the Rangers won three games in a row was back on November 19 against the Vancouver Canucks. Their longest win streak of the season was four games back in October. How bad is that? The Nashville Predators - who with 62 points have been an even bigger disappointment than the Rangers - have had two four-game win streaks and one three-game win streak this season.

But it's the manner in which this team loses games that is the most disconcerting. Since the beginning of the new year, the Rangers have lost seven times when they've held leads or been tied in the third period. 

January 7 vs the Dallas Stars at the Garden. The Rangers led 4-3 with three minutes to go in regulation when K'Andre Miller coughed up the puck in his zone. The Stars tied the game and won it in overtime. 

January 14 @ the Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers were clinging to a 2-1 lead late in the third period when Igor Shesterkin gave up a rebound that Arturi Lehkonen pounced on to tie the game. The Avs went on to win it in OT.

January 19 @ the Montreal Canadiens. Once again the Rangers had a third period lead; once again they gave up the tying goal and lost in overtime. 

January 26 vs the Avalanche at the Garden. The Rangers fought back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game with five minutes to go in the third period. Cale Makar then took a penalty with less than three minutes to go in regulation. The Rangers not only didn't score on the ensuing power play, but Will Borgen's ill-advised, cross-ice pass in the offensive zone was intercepted by Makar, who then sped down the ice to set up the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left.

March 5 vs the Washington Capitals at the Garden. In one of their most inspiring efforts of the season, the Rangers led the Caps 2-1 with just over 11 minutes to go in the third period, when Zac Jones took a hooking penalty. Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play to tie the game and Tom Wilson won it in OT.

March 8 @ the Ottawa Senators. This one hurt. The Rangers had a two-goal lead with 10 minutes to go in regulation. The Sens scored twice to force overtime and won it on a turnover by K'Andre Miller. 

March 28 @ the Anaheim Ducks. This one REALLY hurt. The Rangers led by two goals twice in the game, yet still couldn't hold on for the win. The Ducks scored the game-tying goal off a 4 on 2 with less than two minutes to go in regulation, and then went on to win it in OT.

Think about it: if the Rangers had just two of those squandered points back, they'd currently be above the cut line in the wild card race. If they had four of them back, they'd be in the driver's seat right now. 

This team has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory so many times throughout the 2024-25 season, it's a wonder they're still mathematically alive for a playoff spot at all. And when you look at their remaining games - @ the Devils, vs the Lightning, vs the Flyers, @ the Islanders, @ the Hurricanes, @ the Panthers, and vs the Lightning - it's hard to see how they get in, especially when you consider who the Canadiens have left to play: vs the Flyers, @ the Predators, vs the Red Wings, @ the Senators, @ the Maple Leafs, vs the Blackhawks & vs the Hurricanes.

But regardless of what happens over the next few days, the Rangers may have found themselves a budding, young star in Gabe Perrault. The 23rd pick in the 2023 Entry Draft looked good against the Minnesota Wild the other night. Twice he came close to picking up an assist. He may not be the fastest skater in the league, but his passing skills were on full display in that game. Peter Laviolette was wise to put him in the top six. With so many aging forwards on this roster, it is incumbent on the organization to develop what young talent they have, especially given how Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere were brought along early in their careers. Indeed, if, as expected, Chris Drury unloads Chris Kreider over the summer, and then somehow convinces Mika Zibanejad to waive his NMC, the Rangers might have one of the younger lineups in the NHL next season.

But that's next season. We still have seven games left in this one. Anything can happen.

Yogi Berra used to say, "It ain't over till it's over."

Then again, Bob Dylan once sang, "It's not dark yet, but it's getting there."

One of them is right.

An Opportunity Squandered

I remember the moment like it was yesterday. It was game two of the 1979 Stanley Cup finals and the Rangers had already captured home ice from the Montreal Canadiens. On the strength of two first-period goals by Anders Hedberg and Ron Duguay, they were on their way to taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. Thirty-nine years of futility finally looked like they were about to come to an end.

That was when Mario Trembley's seemingly innocent cross-ice pass deflected off the leg of Yvon Lambert, passed a stunned John Davidson and into the net. The Forum crowd went wild, but more importantly, the home team woke up. The Canadiens scored the next five goals, on way to a 6-2 rout, and went onto win their fourth Cup in a row. Thirty-nine years became forty, and then forty became forty-one, and then, well, you get the picture.

It's too early to tell whether Nikita Kucherov's power play goal in game three of this best of seven series between the two-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the Rangers will have the same impact Lambert's goal had 43 years ago. But the parallels are unmistakable. Like that '79 team, this Rangers team had a lead of 2-0 on the strength of two power play goals by Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider in the second period. And though the Blueshirts were being outshot by the Bolts, they had the better scoring chances halfway through the game. A win meant a 3-0 stranglehold lead in the series.

But a questionable interference penalty on Jacob Trouba at 10:09 of the second period opened the door for Tampa Bay and they walked right through it. The ensuing power play goal by Kucherov at 10:50 brought the crowd to its feet and gave the Lightning the spark they were looking for. They would go on to score the next two goals, the last one coming with 41.6 seconds left in the third period.

Bye, bye dreams of a sweep. We now have a series on our hands. And though the Rangers still hold a 2-1 lead in games, this is NOT the same Lightning team they dominated in the first two games at Madison Square Garden; not even close. Tampa Bay was the better team at 5v5 and bottled up New York the latter half of the game. If you had a dollar for every scoring chance the Rangers had in the third period, you wouldn't have enough money to buy a happy meal.

To keep this series from going back to the Garden tied, the Blueshirts are going to have to elevate their level of play significantly. While Igor Shesterkin is still the better goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy has suddenly rediscovered his game. He robbed Barclay Goodrow and Tyler Motte on consecutive shots in the first to keep the contest scoreless. He has a history of playing better the deeper a series goes. Just ask the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers; both teams are playing golf right now because of him.

It may well be that all that happened Sunday was that a desperate Lightning team did what it had to do to get back in the series. The Rangers still have a dangerous power play and if Trouba doesn't get called for those two third-period penalties, who knows, maybe we ARE talking about a sweep after all.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda isn't going to help the Rangers now. They had an opportunity to drive the Tampa Bay Lightning to the brink of the abyss and they squandered it. They broke the cardinal rule every sports team knows by heart: never let your opponent up off the mat.

Well this isn't your run-of-the-mill opponent we're talking about here. This is a two-time Stanley Cup championship team that has gone through hell and back together. Maybe the strain of playing all those playoff games catches up to them, or maybe they summon the will to end this marvelous postseason journey the Rangers have been on.

We'll know soon enough.

NHL Playoff Predictions

A word of caution here, my track record at predicting championship teams is suspect at best. A couple years ago, I picked the Giants to win the Super Bowl. They ended up having one of their worst seasons in over a decade.

Still, I figure I can't be any worse than some of the predictions of the so-called experts. And, besides, I have a horse in this derby. For the first time since 1994, the Rangers are a favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

First off, I'm going with the teams that have the best goaltending. Why? Because they usually win. The last five Cup winners all had goaltenders who were among the NHL's best. Jonathan Quick (2014 & 2012), Corey Crawford (2013 & 2010) and Tuukka Rask (2011). Without those goalies in net, it is doubtful any of them would've made it passed the second round.

Second, I'm going with teams that have depth. If you don't have more than one scoring line, your odds of advancing to the finals, much less winning the Cup, are slim to none.

I'll go with the Eastern Conference first, followed by the Western and ending with the Cup finals, then let the chips fall where they may.


Eastern Conference Quarterfinals 

Rangers vs. Penguins. The only way the Blueshirts don't win this series is if they take the Penguins too lightly. Rangers have huge edge in both goal and defense. Prediction: Rangers in five.

Islanders vs. Capitals: The smart money is on the Caps. I'm going with the team with better depth. Even with Ovechkin, Caps don't measure up. Prediction: Isles in seven.

Canadiens vs. Senators: Carey Price is lightyears ahead of Andrew Hammond. Montreal was one of the best kept secrets in the NHL this year. Prediction: Canadiens in five.

Lightning vs. Redwings: Tampa has it all: youth, depth and scoring. Things could get ugly fast in Motown. Prediction: Lightning in four.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Rangers vs. Islanders: This one will be a barn burner. Speed of Blueshirts vs. size of Isles. Lundqvist will prove the difference: Prediction: Rangers in six.

Canadiens vs. Lightning: Last year, the Habs swept Tampa. Not this time. This one will go to the wire. Prediction: Canadiens in seven.

Eastern Conference Finals

Rangers vs. Canadiens: Last year's conference finalists lock skates again. A healthy Price will go toe to toe with Lundqvist. Don't be surprised if the series is decided in overtime. Prediction: Rangers in seven.

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Western Conference Quarterfinals

Blues vs. Wild: Early exits were the norm in St. Louis. Not this time. This might be best Blues team we've seen in years. Prediction: Blues in six.

Predators vs. Blackhawks: With or without Patrick Kane, Chicago was the favorite. With him it won't even be close. Prediction: Blackhawks in five.

Ducks vs. Jets: Boy did the Ducks ever catch a break here. No L.A. Kings and a weak wildcard opponent. They'll prevail, but barely. Prediction: Ducks in seven.

Flames vs. Canucks: This might turn out to be the most competitive series in round one. Flames making their first playoff appearance since 2009. It'll go the distance. Prediction: Flames in seven.

Western Conference Semifinals

Ducks vs. Flames: Here's where midnight strikes for weak Anaheim. This won't even be close. Prediction: Flames in five.

Blues vs. Blackhawks: A shame these two teams had to meet in this round. They deserved better. The winner will go to finals. Prediction: Blackhawks in seven.

Western Conference Finals

Blackhawks vs. Flames: It was quite a run for Calgary, but the run ends here. Blackhawks too deep and Crawford too good. Prediction: Blackhawks in five.

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Stanley Cup Finals

Rangers vs. Blackhawks: Two original six teams meeting for the Cup. Hockey the way it was meant to be. Two great goaltenders go at it.  Superior speed of Blueshirts will prove the difference. Prediction: Rangers in seven with Lundqvist winning Conn Smyth.

Well, there you have it. My two cents worth. As per usual, I wouldn't bet the ranch on it. Just know that if the Rangers don't go all the way, I plan on being one unhappy camper.

Rangers Face Tough Challenges In Pursuit of Cup

53 wins, 113 points, both franchise bests. The New York Rangers go into the 2015 post season as a clear-cut favorite to win the Stanley Cup. They are healthy and they have won 6 of their last 7 games.  What could go wrong?

Well, at the risk of being called a Debbie Downer, there are three legitimate obstacles standing in the way of the Blueshirts' quest to secure their first championship in 21 years. I'll list them in no particular order.

1. A crowded field. As I pointed out in my last posting, while the Rangers have had a helluva regular season and are most definitely the NHL's favorite son, they are by no means an only child. The Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals are all genuine contenders to get to the finals. The Canadiens' Carey Price, injured in last year's conference final, is healthy and a legitimate Vezina Trophy candidate. If the Rangers meet them - a strong likelihood should they advance to the third round - Price could go toe to toe with Henrik Lundqvist. If the series goes seven, the Habs are certainly capable of winning at the Garden. Translation? The Rangers are hardly a lock to make it back to the finals.

2. A woeful power play. If there is an Achilles heel to this team, it is their power play, or rather lack of one. The Rangers' power play finished an anemic 16.7 percent, tied for 21st in the NHL. In their last game against New Jersey, the Devils, borrowing a page out of the Broadstreet Bullies' era - handed the Rangers seven power play opportunities. They converted just one. That simply isn't good enough for a team looking to hoist the Cup. The Capitals, by contrast, boast the number one power play in the league. In what promises to be a low-scoring post season, special teams will play a crucial role. If opposing teams know they can take liberties with the Rangers without paying the price, this could be a very short playoff run. The only saving grace here is that the Canadiens' power play is just as woeful.

3. The Presidents' Trophy curse.  Since the trophy was first awarded in 1986, only eight teams that have won it have gone on to win the Cup. Eleven failed to even make it to the conference finals. More ominous was that Alain Vigneault coached two of those failed trophy winners in Vancouver. One of them a first round exit to the L.A. Kings in 2012; the other a thrilling seven game loss to the Boston Bruins in the 2011 finals. Speaking of the Bruins, they were last year's Presidents' Trophy winner, and they lost in the second round to the Canadiens. In fact, of the last six Cup winners, only one, the Chicago Blackhawks, sported the league's best record. And that was during a lockout-shortened season. Being number one isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

But while the Rangers do have some challenges, it's only fair to say that, all things being equal, I would much rather be in their skates than anybody else's. There's a reason why they won the Presidents' Trophy. They were clearly the best team this season. Despite losing their number one goalie, and arguably the NHL's best net minder, the Rangers not only didn't miss a beat, they went into fifth gear. They are the league's fastest and deepest team and they have the three best defense pairings of any playoff team. Since mid December, they have been in a league of their own. After enduring the likes of John Tortorella for five seasons, this team has a quiet confidence that Tortorella's never had. Alain Vigneault has gotten these players to buy into his system and the results speak for themselves.

So round one begins Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Blueshirts should have little trouble getting past them. The Pens have been dreadful down the stretch and are missing half their defense due to injuries. And Marc Andre Fleury will be no match for Henrik Lundqvist in goal. It will be crucial for the Rangers to not get extended deep in this round. Five games should suffice.

After that, the Caps or the hated Islanders await. That series should go at least six games. Buckle your seat belts, kids. We're in for quite a ride.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

A year ago, I took Rangers' G.M. Glen Sather to task. The Rangers had just been been rudely bounced by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the playoffs and Sather "relieved" John Tortorella of his coaching duties. While no one was shedding any tears over Torts' exit, Sather, I felt, had to share in the blame for the team's dismal performance.

Since being hired by the Rangers, Sather has had a rather strange and often bewildering tenure. He hired former Islander center Brian Trottier as coach, then fired him 54 games into the season. Sather hired Tom Renney, who led the team to four consecutive playoff appearances. But when Renney couldn't get passed the second round of the playoffs, he was replaced by Tortorella. In 2012, Tortorella coached the Blueshirts to the conference finals, only to lose to the New Jersey Devils. It was generally acknowledged by many that it was Tortorella's style of coaching, combined with his shortening of the bench, that contributed to the team's failure to advance to the finals. They simply ran out of gas.

While Sather was responsible for drafting players like Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal, he's also been responsible for some of the worst free-agent signings in the club's history, like Eric Lindros, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. Yes, he signed Marion Gaborik, but when the winger wound up in Tortorella's doghouse, Sather traded him away. And while he did get Derick Brassard in return, Gaborik leads all players in goals in this year's playoffs with 11. The nightmare that was the 2012-13 season was as much Sather's fault as it was Tortorella's.

But if it was fair to hold Sather accountable for the wheels falling off last season, it is now equally fair to give him credit for the team's resurgence this season.

Of all the moves Sather has made, perhaps none were more critical then the signing of Alain Vigneault as head coach. It goes without saying that Vigneault was the polar opposite of Tortorella. While Tortorella ran his players ragged, played favorites and often chewed them out in public, Vigneault has treated them like adults, gotten valuable contributions from his role players and has earned the respect of the entire team. His calm and collected persona was the perfect tonic for a team that, for over four years, lived under a reign of terror.

By rotating four lines throughout the playoffs, Vigneault has managed to keep his team fresh. Thursday night's conference-final finale was a text-book case of how to coach a team. The Rangers speed and relentless forechecking pinned a Canadiens team that looked exhausted in their zone most of the night. The only goal of the game was fittingly scored by the fourth line. Under Tortorella, they would never have seen the ice so late in the game.

But Sather didn't stop with just hiring the perfect head coach. His controversial decision not to buy out Brad Richards' contract could have blown up in his face. Had Richards not rebounded this season and decided to retire afterwards, the Rangers would've been stuck with almost $6 million of the remaining $17 million Richards is owed against their cap. That would've been a huge pill to swallow. But Sather rolled the dice and, so far, has been rewarded. Richards has been one of the team's strongest leaders and steadiest players.

The story gets better. Sather's most difficult decision was to trade his captain, Ryan Callahan, who was demanding more money than the team was willing to pay him, to Tampa for winger Marty St. Louis. Throughout the balance of the regular season, the trade looked very much like a bust for the Rangers. But in the playoffs, St. Louis has been a valuable cog in this improbable run. The tragic passing of his mother acted as a springboard for a team that was trailing three games to one against the Penguins and looked dead in the water. Since then, the team has won seven of nine games and is now four wins away from its first Stanley Cup in twenty years.

But perhaps Sather's most clever move as G.M. occurred five years ago when he stole defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Montreal Canadiens for Scott Gomez. McDonagh has not only been the Rangers' best blue liner this season, he's tied with Derek Stepan and St. Louis for the team lead in points this postseason with 13. Talk about redemption.

If the Rangers go on to win the Stanley Cup this year, Sather will have had a lot to do with it. He made all the correct moves when it counted. It will also mark the sixth time he has been the architect of a championship team; the other five coming with the Edmonton Oilers. He deserves much of the credit for climbing out of the hole he was partly to blame for digging.

He will also have the last laugh.

Close It Out

This has been a very strange and difficult to figure conference final series between the Rangers and Canadiens.

You could easily say that were it not for the outstanding goaltending of Montreal's Dustin Tokarski, this series would've ended last night with a four-game sweep. How bad have the Habs been in this series? By my count they've played three solid periods of hockey in four games. They've been slow and sloppy and their number one offensive player, P.K. Subban, has been, well, offesive.  Last night's power-goal was the first point he's had in the entire series.

Of course, the Rangers haven't been that much better. With the exception of game one's rout, they've been their own worst enemy. Yes, they've been the better team, but let's face it, that's not saying much. Consider this: if the Canadiens had managed to score just one more power play goal last night, as strange as it might seem, this series would actually be tied with the Blueshirts going back to Montreal and their backs against the wall.

Funny game, hockey. A bounce here, a bounce there. Last night's game was about as sloppy as you could get. The Rangers had to kill off eight penalties, five of them committed in the offensive zone. As a result, they never got their forecheck or speed game going. And yet they still managed to score three goals, all of them off of defensive lapses on the part of the Canadiens; the last one coming in overtime from Marty St. Louis, who took a brilliant pass from Carl Hagelin and went top shelf on Tokarski. With all the talk about the goaltenders in this series, Hagelin has been, by far, the best player on either side.

And now the Rangers find themselves in a rather unusual and unfamiliar position. They are up three games to one. They have three chances to close out their opponent. They haven't been this fortunate since they swept the Atlanta Thrashers in '07. So what will they do?

If I'm the Rangers, I close this sucker out Tuesday night. I would not look a gift horse in the mouth. There is no guarantee that the Rangers would win a game six at home. And, should they lose game six, it's over. No way they win a game seven in Montreal. Ask the Penguins what happened to them after they blew a chance to close out the Rangers in five. You can bet the ranch Montreal has the tape of that game.

The Canadiens will throw the kitchen sink at the Rangers. They've done their best to goat the Blueshirts into scrums designed only to incite and distract them. Brandon Prust's late hit on Derek Stepan, which resulted in the latter sustaining a broken jaw, shows the lengths to which they will go to get the Rangers off their game.

It will be up to head coach Alain Vigneault to keep his cool and convince his team not to lose theirs. Vigneault has been nothing short of brilliant in these playoffs. After four plus years of enduring the ranting and raving of John Tortorella, Vigneault has been a breath of fresh air in the locker room. Compare and contrast him with his counterpart, Montreal coach Michel Therrien, whose "small world" comment concerning Derick Brassard's upper-body injury, was about as unprofessional and amateurish at it gets. Credit Vigneault for not biting on that poisoned apple.

Tuesday night, the Rangers have three objectives: resist the urge to retaliate when the Canadiens come after them; stay out of the penalty box; and throw as many pucks as they can at Tokarski. If they do that, they stand an excellent chance of getting some badly needed rest in preparation for a Stanley Cup final round against either the L.A. Kings or the Chicago Blackhawks.  If they don't, they could end up being only the third team in the last sixty-eight to blow a 3-1 conference final round lead.

It's been twenty years since the last championship. This might be the best chance a Rangers team has of drinking from the Cup for quite some time. It would be nothing short of catastrophic if they let it slip by.

Hab Nots

What to make of yesterday's drubbing of the Canadiens. On the one hand, the Rangers were quick on the puck, solid defensively and Henrik Lundqvist exorcized, for at least one game, his past demons in stopping 20 of 22 shots.

On the other hand, however, Montreal was simply dreadful. They were slow, sloppy and, for the better part of the game, seemed to be hungover from their game 7 victory over the Bruins. How bad were the Canadiens? They allowed the Rangers to score three power play goals, one of them by Rick Nash, whose last playoff goal, if memory serves, was scored sometime in 1911. They left their goalie, Carey Price, virtually naked and made Chris Kreider look like Steve Shutt. Thomas Vanek and P.K. Subban, second round heroes over the Bruins, were invisible.

And yet, even with all that, it was a 2-1 game until the 18:59 mark of the 2nd period. That was when Steve, er, Chris Kreider split through both Montreal defensemen for a breakaway goal. Fifty seconds later Brad Richards caught Carey Price leaning the wrong way and shot the puck past him. 4-1 Rangers after two. The third period seemed almost anticlimactic.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good laugher as much as the next fan. Of the Rangers' eight playoff wins coming into this series, six were nail biters. Indeed, both game 7s were as excruciating as they were exciting to watch. So it was a nice reprieve to not have to sweat out a third period for once. Trust me, I have enough gray hairs.

But a reprieve is all this was, period. If anyone thinks for a moment that game 2 is going to be the cakewalk game 1 was, they're delusional. The Canadiens are a very fast and very talented team. And very proud. Despite what all their players said after the game about putting this behind them, believe me, the way they played will stick in their craw. They will look to exact revenge on the Blueshirts in game 2. There is no way Montreal can lose both games at home and expect to win this series. They know that and so should the Rangers.

In the last round, the Rangers beat the Penguins in game 1 by out skating them. Pittsburgh couldn't contend with the Rangers' speed. Then, for some reason, they stopped skating and checking. The Penguins won the next three before the tragic death of Marty St. Louis's mother sparked an emotional resurgence and miraculous turnaround. The Rangers rolled off three consecutive and decisively emotional wins to oust the Pens.

Know this, if the Rangers pull that against the Canadiens, there will be no miracle comeback. No way in hell Montreal will blow a 3-1 series lead. They are considerably better, deeper, sounder and more resilient than Pittsburgh. You don't defeat the Eastern Conference champs by letting up. They know how to deliver a knockout punch; a trait which the Rangers have been sadly lacking.

It's also worth noting that the last time a Rangers team found itself up one game to none against a Canadians team was 1979 in the Cup finals. That was a fairly lopsided win, too, if I'm not mistaken.

We all know how that series turned out.