The Rangers are one step away.
One step away from their first Presidents’ Trophy since 2014-15, and fourth in franchise historical past.
One step away from securing home-ice benefit all through everything of the postseason.
The destiny of each is squarely of their arms.
After their 3-2 shootout win over the Islanders on Saturday afternoon at Madison Sq. Backyard, a franchise-best 54th win of the season, the Rangers sit at an NHL-best 112 factors getting into their closing recreation of the season Monday, a house conflict towards the Senators.
“We’ve obtained one recreation left,” head coach Peter Laviolette mentioned after Saturday’s recreation. “We’re gonna work actually exhausting to verify we play that recreation correctly and do the appropriate issues. When that’s over, the common season is there and we’ll tackle the playoffs.”
The Rangers had seen a agency grasp on each start to loosen, dropping two straight and three of six getting into Saturday.
However one other comeback win — their franchise-best twenty eighth of the season — steadied the ship and put them inside touching distance of each.
In the event that they hadn’t been capable of come again, a Rangers regulation loss coupled with the Stars’ 3-1 win over the Kraken, would have meant they’d have fallen into the second-best document within the league and given Dallas management of its personal future.
As an alternative, the Stars sit at 111 factors, and don’t play till Tuesday — that means they’ll know getting into their closing recreation if they’ve an opportunity to supplant the Rangers.
Even when they lose on Monday, if the Rangers get to additional time and decide up a degree, they’d clinch.
It might deliver them to 113 factors, which is essentially the most the Stars can attain, and the Rangers would win the tiebreaker with extra regulation wins.
“The one factor we may do [right now] is play regular-season video games,” Laviolette mentioned about probably looking forward to the postseason. “There’s nonetheless yet one more regular-season recreation left. You wanna be sure to’re doing all of your greatest to be sure to’re getting the 2 factors, getting the wins. And should you try this properly sufficient, then you definitely get an opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup.”
Securing house ice could be a significant boon for the Rangers, who’ve made Madison Sq. Backyard a fortress this season.
Coming into Monday, their 29 wins at house are second-most within the league, with solely the Avalanche (30) possessing a greater document.
However profitable the Presidents’ Trophy, in fact, has offered ample unhealthy luck lately.
Not one of the final eight winners has even been capable of make it out of the second spherical, and it’s been a decade since the most effective regular-season crew has taken house the Stanley Cup.
In reality, solely two Presidents’ Trophy winners within the final 20 years have received the Stanley Cup.
Final 12 months, the Bruins set an NHL document with 135 factors within the common season.
However it didn’t matter, as they had been bounced within the first spherical by the Panthers.
The Rangers are actually no strangers to playoff disappointments after stellar common seasons, significantly final 12 months’s gut-wrenching first-round elimination by the rival Devils.
When requested if this 12 months’s crew was better-equipped for the playoffs than final 12 months’s crew, which was coached by Gerard Gallant, Laviolette most well-liked to take issues one step at a time.
First, Sport 82.
Then, they’ll fear in regards to the postseason.
“We obtained a variety of work to do,” Laviolette mentioned. “The playoffs are what we’re right here for. We gotta get by way of this subsequent recreation, make certain we do an excellent job enjoying that recreation. After which we’ll assault [the playoffs].”
