After Saturday’s shutout loss to the Islanders, there is now only one improbable scenario for the Rangers to make the playoffs.
The Blueshirts would have to win all four of their remaining games, two against the second-place Capitals and two against the team they’re trailing by eight points, the Bruins. Not only would they have to win outright, but Boston would have to go 0-6 over its final games of the season to lose the fourth playoff spot in the East Division.
It’s not just an unlikely situation, it’s farfetched.
So where do the Rangers go from here?
This season has allowed the Rangers to not only identify their overall weaknesses but also repeatedly size themselves up against some of the most competitive teams in the NHL. That was, in a way, a benefit of the Rangers’ schedule for the truncated 2020-21 season, which crammed eight games against each team in the East.
That meant 21 of their 56 games were against the likes of the Islanders, Capitals and Bruins — three organizations that have been playoff staples in recent years.
The Rangers already saw how they fared against a postseason-ready Isles squad, who outscored them 13-1 in their final three meetings. But they will get to continue evaluating themselves against some of the best of the best, starting Monday with Washington.
David Quinn behind the Rangers’ bench during their loss to the Islanders on May 1, 2021. N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg“Our effort and our compete level have to give us a chance every night,” head coach David Quinn said of how he hopes the team approaches these final games. “At the end of the day, that’s what we have to do. That’s the only thing we can control. If we have that throughout our lineup, we have a chance. If you don’t, you don’t.
“Obviously, you’re playing the Islanders these last two, you’ve got Washington and Boston, we’re playing playoff teams. Teams that have aspirations to win a Stanley Cup. We need to measure ourselves against that, that’s where we’re trying to get to.”
It may be difficult to measure accurately, with three players with often heavy workloads out of the lineup due to injury. But in the absence of Chris Kreider (lower body), Brett Howden (out for the season with broken foot), Jacob Trouba (presumed concussion) and Ryan Lindgren (upper body), it opens the door for the Rangers’ experimental period to continue.
Alexis Lafreniere flipped with Kreider onto the top line for the 3-2 loss to the Flyers on April 23 and has been there ever since. The next move for Quinn was starting Vitali Kravtsov on the second line for the first time Saturday. And two of the Rangers’ final four recalls were used to bring up forward Morgan Barron, who made his NHL debut in the loss to the Isles, and defenseman Tarmo Reunanen.
There likely will be more adjustments in the final games. Quinn may have given a glimpse into some of them Saturday, like how Kaapo Kakko replaced Ryan Strome on the first power-play unit for a bit after the Islanders made it a 3-0 game in the second period.
The playoffs may be out of the picture, but gearing up for next season is coming into focus.
