On the playoff front, the Rangers had closed to within seven points of the Pittsburgh Penguins, sitting in the last wild card spot. The Pens won tonight so the Rangers now trail them by nine points, an almost insurmountable hurdle. All in all, it was a bad night for both the Rangers’ playoff hopes and their lottery dreams.
The Lottery Look
There was one really important game tonight, between Washington and Los Angeles. A Kings win would have moved them only three points behind the Rangers. The other two games featured Vancouver and Philadelphia, teams one point ahead of the Rangers.