Looking At Rangers Road Ahead

As Dave pointed out a few days back, what seemed to get lost the most in the losing streak the Rangers were suffering through was the position they had put themselves in to that point.  When this team entered training camp, I saw a team that would be fighting for one of three final spots in the Eastern Conference, or miss the playoffs entirely.

The performance of the team in the first half raised expectations for many and that is why there was such consternation over the recent struggles, but if we step back we see that the Rangers are 7th in the East, with a four point cushion on 9th place Atlanta.  As the games remaining decrease the obsession with scoreboard watching increases exponentially.  With that in mind let us take a quick look at what the Rangers likely have to do over their last 24 games in order to make the playoffs.

The team currently has 64 points in 58, which would put them on a 90 point pace for the season.  Last season 88 points was good enough for the final spot, while two seasons ago it was 93 points in order to make the postseason.

Typically it will take approximately 90 points to be on the cusp or in the playoffs when the season is over.  If 90 is the magic number, then the Rangers need 26 points in their last 24 games.

In those 24 games, the team will only play 12 against teams that are currently in the playoffs.  The fact that the team plays a low percentage against current playoff teams would seem to make 26 points a very feasible goal for the team to accomplish.   That statistic is slightly misleading though because the Rangers play very good teams in Los Angeles and Minnesota who are just outside the current playoff standings in the very tight Western race.  Add to that the Rangers having two games against charging Buffalo, and two against scorching New Jersey and the schedule suddenly seems tougher.

In terms of home and away, the Rangers have 15 of their final 24 games inside Madison Square Garden.  For most teams being at home that much would be a blessing, but with the Rangers inability to create a home ice advantage (13-12-3) as compared to their road success (17-12-1) there is no telling if that works in their favor or against them.  Improving on their home performance would go a long way to securing the team a playoff birth.

Take a look at home the Rangers situation compares to the three closest challengers.

The road for New York will not be easy, and they will have to play well, but they have put in the work to this point in the season that what it will take to make the playoffs is within their control, which is something we should all keep in mind down the stretch.