Monzo Minor: Rangers Lay An Egg
By Brian Monzo
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Coming into last night's game against the Thrashers, the Rangers had all the momentum in the world. They were coming off an inspiring comeback win against the Bruins, and it looked as if the playoffs were imminent. Before the game, Brandon Prust was awarded with the "Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award" for his hard work all season. The crowd was electric. Then the game started. And it finished -- Thrashers 3, Rangers 0.
As John Tortorella said after the game last night, nobody showed up and now the Rangers have to hope for a few breaks to get into the playoffs.
So the Rangers head into Saturday at MSG, game 82, against the rival NJ Devils who will be playing for nothing else but to eliminate the Rangers from the playoffs. The loss to the Thrashers took away control of the Rangers' fate.
To break this down as easily as possible, the Rangers have one game left, with 91 points. The tie-breaker for getting into the playoffs is 'regulation wins,' meaning SHOOTOUT wins do not count towards a 'point' tie-breaker. The Hurricanes are two points behind the Rangers with 89, and are tied with the Rangers with 34 'regulation wins.' The Hurricanes have two games left, tonight against the Thrashers and Saturday against the Lightning. In simple terms, if the Hurricanes win the next two, and the Rangers win Saturday (in regulation), the Hurricanes get the tie-breaker. Basically, the Rangers need to win Saturday and hope the Hurricanes lose one of the next two games.
For the Rangers, it again comes down to the last game of the season for them to make the playoffs. It is truly unbelievable, if you think about it. Last season, as we noted last time, it came down to a shootout against the Flyers. This year it comes down to a battle at MSG against the Devils, and hoping that the Hurricanes lose a game.
Another season, another exciting (yet stressful) finale for Rangers fans.
Finally -- US hockey fans may not know the name E.J. McGuire. He has the director of the 'Central Scouting Bureau' for the NHL. Before this, he was an assistant coach in the NHL as well as the head coach of the Rangers minor league team, the Hartford Wolfpack for two seasons in the late 90's. In Canada, and within the NHL, he was very well known. Basically, he knew the upcoming draftee's in the NHL like no other. Whether it be a report on the 'NHL Network,' or a spot on 'NHL Radio,' his information and knowledge was by far the best. E.J. passed away early yesterday from cancer at the age of 58. I did not know him personally, other than a few emails and voice-mails exchanged, but he was a good man, a great hockey person and the best at what he did.
Follow me on Twitter as the Rangers (hopefully) make their playoff push: BMonzoNHL660
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