Not sure where that whole rumor came from but its completely false.  The shootout has helped them tons all year, especially for something that has almost no correlation to the actual game of hockey.  Had there been no shootouts, instead ties after OT, the Rangers would be even further behind Carolina.  The shootout has won them many points this year, and has been extremely beneficial to them.  The Rangers were screwed over by not winning enough games without the skills competition, not screwed over by the skills competition.

For the record, I like the new tiebreaker, and think it makes sense to minimize the value of the shootout.