On the playoff front, the Rangers loss leaves them still nine points out of the last wild card spot. Pittsburgh was idle on Tuesday and remain with 65 points. They are in a precarious position as Carolina is only one point back and the Sabres closed to within two.
The Lottery Look
The Rangers remain 11th from the bottom of the NHL, but some unexpected wins made the race for lottery positioning even closer. Only six points separate the Rangers from the second worst record in the league.
Detroit beat Nashville 3-2 on the road, a huge upset that draws the Red Wings five points behind the Rangers and lifted them from second worst to third.