So here is the first “bright-side loss” of the home stretch for the Rangers, dropping a 5-2 contest to the Blue Jackets on Sunday night at the Garden that could easily be deemed a positive in the big picture.
Because with this result, Columbus leapfrogged the Rangers to regain third place in the Metropolitan Division, while John Tortorella’s club still holds two games in hand.
And it’s enviable for the Rangers to drop back into the first wild-card spot — still well clear of the second wild-card spot, with almost no threat of actually missing the playoffs.