The Rangers have been in do-or-die mode for quite some time now and have played with an understanding that one loss could send them out of playoff contention.
But after winning seven of their past 10 games (including a 6-0 record against the Devils and Sabres, both of which have been eliminated), the Blueshirts are about to embark on the most pivotal chapter of their fight for a postseason bid: a home-and-home with the Islanders on Thursday and Saturday.
It just may become a lengthy, detailed page in the archives of the long-standing Battle of New York.
These are a pair of games that could go down in history given what’s at stake for both teams. The Rangers are looking to prove their rebuilding is nearly complete and achieve their goal of making the playoffs. The Islanders are looking to erase the memory of their Eastern Conference finals exit last season and officially go the distance with their win-now roster.
It is very unlikely that both teams will sit in the top four in the East Division come mid-May, with the Capitals, Penguins and Bruins all in the mix as well. So it is one or the other, as the Rangers sit five points behind the Isles, who are currently third in the division with a game in hand.
The Rangers are undoubtedly the underdogs, forced to claw and scratch their way into their current position following a disappointing start to the season. But while focusing on the present and refusing to look ahead, the Rangers, from March 13 through Tuesday, were tied for second in the NHL in wins (16-6-3), tied for first in points (35) and ranked first in goal differential with a plus-39.
“It’s the old sports cliché: We’ve just got to be ready to win a hockey game on Thursday, and that’s all we can manage and that’s all we can focus on. That’s all that matters,” head coach David Quinn said after Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the Sabres. “We’re still playing meaningful hockey, we have a chance, but we’ve just got to make sure we’re ready to go against the Islanders on Thursday night. That’s really all it comes down to.”
The Islanders have held the edge so far in this truncated season of intra-divisional play, with wins in four of the six meetings between the teams — including two shutouts. But after losing 1-0 to the first-place Capitals on Tuesday night, the Islanders are 0-2-1 in their past three games and 2-4-1 in their past seven.
A lot would have to go wrong for the Islanders to miss the playoffs, but they seemingly have lost their touch since acquiring forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac from the Devils at the trade deadline. The Islanders are 4-5-1 in the 10 games since that trade.
But the Rangers, who were laughed out of the Coliseum in a 6-1 loss last week, are coming off much easier competition. There is nothing easy about the Islanders.
“I think last year, we proved how good a team we are, in the bubble,” the Islanders’ Matt Martin said of his team’s 2019-20 playoff run. “When you’ve proven it in the past and been through these things in the past, you often know what you can expect in the future. It’s no secret we’ve got to be better. It’s not always easy to find your game when you’re struggling.”