New York Rangers Defeat The Colorado Avalanche To Remain In First Place Overall

The Rangers answered another test, defeating Colorado 3-2 in a shootout Thursday. Down 1-0 after two periods on a late tally in the second frame, the Rangers scored twice to take the lead before the Avalanche tied it. Colorado dominated play in the third period and overtime but scored only once on 23 shots, thanks to the play of Igor Shesterkin in net.

For the Rangers, the goals down the stretch are two-fold: first and foremost, stay healthy. Second, try to win the Metro Division and secure the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. The pair of items are not mutually exclusive and in line with what coach Peter Laviolette spoke about Thursday about playing out the schedule the right way.

Health: Thursday, New York welcomed back Ryan Lindgren to the lineup after he missed four games with his lower-body injury. The original incident certainly looked as if Lindgren would miss substantially more time. But the Bionic Man heals at a quick rate, paving the way for his return. Lindgren played 21:11 and dished out three hits.

Jacob Trouba, out the last three weeks, was in a regular jersey at Thursday’s morning skate. Most of us expected Trouba back before Lindgren, though, as we have seen, that proved not to be the case. He could dress Saturday in Arizona or at home Monday against Pittsburgh. No status update has been provided on Erik Gustafsson, who was injured Monday against Florida via an elbow to the chin.

The Blueshirts got a scare Thursday when Adam Fox went down like he was shot in the third period. Replays showed the puck deflecting off a stick, hitting Fox in the face. Fox didn’t return to the game but was on the bench in overtime and the shootout. This event shows just how quickly a team can go from healthy to down a key player.

Second, the division, conference, and overall first-place race. Thursday’s win allowed the Rangers to maintain a three-point lead over the Hurricanes, who defeated Detroit 4-0. Carolina has eight games remaining, while New York has nine. In addition, the Blueshirts also have a three-point cushion over the Bruins in the battle for the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed with a game in hand. Last, New York maintained a one-point lead over Dallas, who also won last night, in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy.

As Vince Mercogliano noted, Thursday’s contest ended a grueling stretch of New York playing five straight teams who are currently in playoff position, including four of the NHL’s top-eight teams in Colorado, Boston, Florida and Winnipeg. The Rangers went 4-1 in those contests, with the only loss coming Mar. 19 against the Jets. They’ve won four straight since then and will now enter a softer spot in the schedule.

New York’s next six games will come against teams that are outside of the postseason picture, though in some cases, that is a technicality, beginning Saturday at 6 pm against the Coyotes. Don’t sleep on Arizona, who just laid an 8-4 whipping over the hottest team in the NHL, Nashville, on Thursday. As we have seen recently and historically, overlooking any team or not coming prepared is a recipe for disaster. In addition, after the Arizona game, in this stretch, the Rangers face Pittsburgh and New Jersey, where records don’t really matter, as well as Detroit and the Isles, who are battling for the eighth spot. While it’s a fact that the six teams are not in a playoff spot, a good portion of the games are far from easy or cakewalks. After that run, the Rangers finish their regular season schedule with contests at home versus Philly and the Isles, each of whom may be battling for the eighth playoff spot, and Ottawa.