Rangers Vs. Islanders: Just How Big Of Win Was That
The Rangers beat te Islanders in overtime Saturday, and it was a huge win.
So I didn't really watch any of the Rangers game last night -- although I did see the overtime winner, what a finish by Dan Girardi and what a pass from Derick Brassard -- but I can still tell you how massive that win really was.
So here's what we're looking at right now:
The Rangers needed to beat the Islanders in regulation in order to leapfrog them into 7th place. Since they won in overtime, the Islanders still have one more point than they do. But Girardi's OT winner will factor into another potential tiebreaker: The Regulation and Overtime Win column. That's the first tiebreaker once points are thrown out the window.
The Rangers currently have 17 regulation and overtime wins. The Islanders have 18. The Jets -- who are two points behind the Rangers with one less game in hand -- have 20; so the Rangers probably need to simply be ahead of Winnipeg when all is said and done.
That isn't exactly a great scenario, but if New York goes 5-1-1 in their last seven games they are guaranteed a playoff spot. Which means they hold their own destiny in their own hands, which is really all you can ask for in a situation like this.
Wins like the one against the Islanders help -- since the Rangers are clawing their way back into the higher seeds -- but they have some games coming up against opponents behind them in the schedule as well. Those games are just as important.
Keep winning and it won't be an issue. Lose a couple of games? Well, that's when things get interesting.
Saturday was a good start.
