SUNDAY UPDATE: Game recap at Blueshirt Bulletin+ -- click here to read it and see today's links.
The Rangers will be watching around the league tonight after falling 1 - 0 in Boston to the Conference-leading Bruins.
At face value, a 1 - 0 game against a top team in the NHL doesn't seem that terrible. However, the lone goal by Blake Wheeler was not a strong effort by Henrik Lundqvist and Paul Mara had two major offensive opportunities that he merely gave away.
Scott Gomez had several opportunities, but faltered when he made several poor passes that led to giveaways in the offensive zone. The same with several other players such as Nik Zherdev who seems stymied of late.
Bottom line: their fate has become more in the hands of the rest of the NHL than their own.
It's disappointing and frustrating as fans because it seems like you are constantly banging your head with some of the mistakes the team has been making.
Case and point in the power play, which again failed them at two key points in the third period. Rather than watching a team concept, the Rangers have been resigned to individual efforts with no real pressure in the offensive zone.
Overall, it continues to be a flat effort with a very horizontal attack and it has to change immediately or the playoffs are going to become a far cry.
Now the Rangers look elsewhere in hope for some help from Toronto (facing Montreal tonight), New Jersey (facing Buffalo tonight), and Pittsburgh (facing Montreal tomorrow) before taking on Montreal themselves on Tuesday.
One positive note is that if the Rangers are able to defeat Montreal and take at least one game from Philadelphia, their chances of making the playoffs are pretty good.
Florida has to go at least 3 - 1 if the Rangers can't take two of their remaining three games.
Buffalo must be perfect the rest of the way.
Yet, despite what other teams may do, if the Rangers continue to hope and back in, it's going to become very difficult even as an 8th seed.
In other notes, Nik Antropov went down after a knee-on-knee hit and did not return. In the postgame, Tortorella had no additional news. Sean Avery attempted to throw Tim Thomas off his game by bumping him in the back of the helmet during a television timeout. Both Avery and Thomas were penalized. Don't be surprised if Avery is disciplined.
More tonight...