If the playoffs started today … you wouldn’t be preoccupied with buying gifts for Hanukkah, Christmas or, for that matter, finding that perfect Festivus pole.
Which is to say the playoffs do not commence for another four months, so it is of little concern the Blueshirts do not occupy a tournament berth as of this snowy December weekend.
“I check the standings every couple of days, but I don’t obsess over it,” Marc Staal said following the Blueshirts’ 5-2 Garden victory over the Devils on Saturday. “At the same time, I know how hard it is to make up ground or put teams away, so there is an urgency on getting points and especially against teams in the division.