New York Rangers Daily: Massive playoff implications; Gabriel Landeskog’s big step after 3-year absence
When Saturday is over, the New York Rangers will know a heckuva lot more about their fate this season than they did when the sun rose in Raleigh.
A 5-2 loss by the Montreal Canadiens on Friday kept the Rangers (37-35-7) alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race. By alive, we mean still on serious life support. But, yes, they still have a pulse.
The Rangers still must win out in their final three games and need the Canadiens to lose each of their three contests in regulation. New York’s tragic number is one.
Then there’s the case of the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’re tied with the Rangers and Detroit Red Wings with 81 points, six behind the Canadiens for the second wild card. However, Columbus has played one fewer game than each of those three teams. It might be highly unlikely, but there’s a world where the Blue Jackets could snag that final playoff spot, for sure.
So, that’s the backdrop. But let’s get back to why Saturday is so important.
The Rangers, Blue Jackets and Canadiens all play Saturday. First and foremost, the Rangers must win their 3 p.m. game at Lenovo Center against the Carolina Hurricanes. Any loss — in regulation or overtime — brings the curtain down on their season.
The Blue Jackets begin a home-and-home set at 12:30 when they host the Washington Capitals. That’s important to the Rangers in a macro sense, the big picture, because if the Blue Jackets win, they’re the only team behind the Canadiens that can finish the season with more points than Montreal, and thus New York and Detroit too.
But in the micro sense, whether the Blue Jackets win or lose Saturday doesn’t affect the Rangers’ immediate fate.
What the Canadiens do Saturday night in Toronto when they skate against the Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. does matter to the Rangers. If the Rangers win their game and the Canadiens lose theirs, the Rangers are alive for another two days, at least, since neither team plays again until Monday.
Here’s why it also matters so much. Can you possibly imagine the pressure a young Canadiens team will face back home with two games remaining and its lead for the second wild card whittled to four points? The Rangers may not have been good this season, but they do have a lot of big-game experience in their lineup. The Canadiens? Not so much. Just saying.
So, yeah, Saturday is a big day for the Rangers. First, they must take care of their own business and defeat an opponent that has 30 home wins this season and is itching to eliminate them after losing to the Rangers in the second round of the playoffs last spring.
Drop the puck!
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New York Rangers news
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NHL news and rumors
Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon were among those in attendance Friday when Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played his first professional hockey game in more than 1,000 days — since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 26, 2022. Landeskog logged 14:49 TOI for the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League after multiple knee surgeries wiped out three seasons of his career.
The Hurricanes signed standout KHL defenseman Alexander Nikishin to a two-year entry-level contract Friday, and the 24-year-old told RG in an exclusive interview that he’s hoping to get visa issues worked out in time to play a game or two before the NHL regular season ends and Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.
Speaking of stud defenseman prospects, the Minnesota Wild are expected to sign Zeev Buium now that his NCAA season is over (Denver was eliminated in the Frozen Four by Western Michigan on Thursday), in time for the 2024 first-round pick to play in the postseason.
Isaac Howard, a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, won the 2025 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey.
Gabe Perreault’s former Boston College teammate Jacob Fowler, who just signed his entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens, was named the winner of the 2025 Mike Richter Award as the top NCAA goalie.
Good news/bad news for the Edmonton Oilers: they clinched a playoff berth and a healthy Connor McDavid had four assists in a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks, but Zach Hyman left the game with an undisclosed issue and defenseman Mattias Ekholm only made it through two shifts in his return to the lineup from an injury.
Shane Pinto scored twice to help the Ottawa Senators end Montreal’s six-game winning streak.
Due to injuries — including the latest sustained by Oliver Ekman-Larsson — and salary-cap issues, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to dress only five defenseman and 17 skaters when they host the Canadiens on Saturday.
Like the Rangers, the Detroit Red Wings remain alive, barely, in the East playoff chase after a 4-3 overtime win against the Lightning in Tampa.
Out West, the Calgary Flames also remained alive, doubling up the Wild 4-2.
After a slow start, the Pittsburgh Penguins pulled themselves together for a 4-2 win against the New Jersey Devils.
There was some good news for the Devils, though. Coach Sheldon Keefe said that injured defenseman Dougie Hamilton should be able to play in their first-round playoff series against the Hurricanes.
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