Rangers week ahead includes 3 home games, desperately trying to hold onto playoff berth
The New York Rangers enter the new week holding the second wild card in the Eastern Conference with a 33-29-6 record and 72 points after splitting four games last week, including a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. But numbers can be deceiving, and they don’t tell the full story as the Rangers try to hang onto a playoff berth.
New York leads the Montreal Canadiens (32-27-7) by one point. However, the Canadiens have two games in hand, and they’re 7-1-2 in their past 10 games following a 3-1 home win against Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Rangers are two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets after playing perhaps their best game of the season in a 4-0 win at Nationwide Arena on Saturday night. But the Blue Jackets (31-27-8) also have two games in hand and a slightly better point percentage than the Rangers (.529 to .528).
The Rangers were so dominant in the win at Columbus that Igor Shesterkin had to make just 21 saves, few of them difficult. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided that his No. 1 goalie hadn’t been severely taxed against Columbus and opted to start Shesterkin in both ends of back-to-back games for just the fifth time in his NHL career and the first since February 2023.
Shesterkin wasn’t awful while starting for the fourth time in six days, but he allowed the go-ahead goal to Edmonton’s Victor Arvidsson at 6:09 of the third period, then surrendered a late goal to Connor McDavid that put the game away.
The game against the Oilers was the first of four in a row at the Garden against teams from Canada, each of whom have better records than the Rangers. New York has to improve on its 16-15-3 mark at home if it wants to keep ahead of a group of challengers that also includes the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders, each of whom could catch the Rangers by winning their games in hand.
Who’s hot
Artemi Panarin is riding a nine-game point streak after assisting on Will Cuylle’s goal against the Oilers. He reached the 70-point mark with a goal and an assist in the win at Columbus, giving him five seasons with 70-plus points in as many full seasons since joining the Rangers as a free agent in the summer of 2019. He’s one goal shy of his third 30-goal season with New York.
Who’s not
Chris Kreider took an 0-fer last week, held without a point in four games and taking only six shots on goal. With 18 goals and 22 points in 54 games, he’s on track for his worst season since finishing with 16 goals and 37 points in 58 games in 2017-18.
Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from disappointing 3-1 loss to Oilers
Rangers lookahead this week includes …
The final three games of a 15-day stretch that will see the Rangers play nine times.
Calgary Flames at Rangers (March 18, 7 p.m. ET; MSG)
The Flames’ 3-2 win in Calgary on Nov. 21 is the line of demarcation in the Rangers season. New York came to Scotiabank Saddledome with a 12-4-1 record and appeared to be on course to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fourth straight season, if not a repeat as Presidents’ Trophy winners. The loss began a 19-game stretch through the end of 2024 in which they were 4-15-0 and dropped out of the top eight in the East.
Calgary is in a playoff battle of its own. The Flames enter the week two points behind the Vancouver Canucks, who hold the second wild card in the Western Conference, and they’ll be playing the second of a back-to-back set after beginning a four-game road trip against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
With Shesterkin having played four games in six days through Sunday, don’t be surprised if Jonathan Quick gets the start. Quick is 15-11-5 against the Flames in his career with an excellent 2.26 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Rangers (March 20, 7 p.m.; MSG2)
While the Rangers battle for a playoff spot, the Maple Leafs are in a three-way brawl for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto starts the week tied for second with the Lightning; both are four points behind the Panthers with two games in hand.
The Rangers and Maple Leafs split their first two games this season, with New York winning 4-1 at Toronto on Oct. 19 and Toronto winning its third straight at the Garden by edging the Rangers 3-2 on Feb. 28.
Auston Matthews has just 24 goals in 51 games after scoring 69 times for the Maple Leafs last season. He’s been a point-a-game player against the Rangers, with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 23 games. That includes a goal and an assist in the two games this season.
Shesterkin is 6-3-2 lifetime against Toronto, including 1-1-0 this season, with a 2.53 GAA and .919 save percentage.
Vancouver Canucks at Rangers (March 22, 1 p.m. MSG/NHL Network)
Expect the Garden crowd to arrive early for the Saturday matinee since the Rangers salute Sam Rosen, their longtime TV voice, in a pregame ceremony honoring him for his 40 seasons behind the mic. Rosen has been calling Rangers games since 1984 and announced before the start of the season that this would be his last in the broadcast booth.
When the puck drops, J.T. Miller will be playing the team that traded him to the Rangers on Jan. 31 for the first time since the deal.
Miller has given the Rangers a boost with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 17 games. New York’s first pick (No. 15) in the 2011 NHL Draft had career highs in goals (37), assists (66) and points (103) last season for Vancouver.
It would be nice if Filip Chytil made his first return to MSG since being traded to Vancouver in the Miller deal. However, Chytil is in concussion protocol and questionable to play Saturday.
The Rangers have won four of their past five against the Canucks, including a 4-3 win at Vancouver on Nov. 19 that marked the high point of their season.
Mika Zibanejad has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 21 games against the Canucks, including a goal and an assist in the win at Vancouver in November.
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