Three significant things to watch for as the New York Rangers take on the Blue Jackets
Photo credit: Columbus Dispatch
The New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets take on each other tonight in a matchup that has playoff written all over it. The two Metropolitan Division teams are fighting over a Wild Card spot in the East.
The New York Rangers should approach tonight's game in Madison Square Garden with the utmost importance.
They're right behind the Columbus Blue Jacket in the Eastern Conference vying for a wild card spot in the playoffs.
Tonight is the first of two meetings between the two teams, as the Blue Jackets visit the Rangers tonight in MSG and will follow it up with a trip to Nationwide Arena next Saturday.
In order to position themselves for success, the New York Rangers will have to figure out a way to win both games.
The Rangers (31-26-6, 68 points) enter their final 19 games tied with the Blue Jackets in points. Since the Blue Jackets (30-24-8, 68 points) have a game in hand, they are the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and the Rangers are percentage points behind them.
The Rangers have already won four points in their previous meetings against the Blue Jackets, but they will have to contend with a team that has scored 203 goals in the Metropolitan Division, good enough for ninth in the league.
They'll have to figure out how to stifle the top-six and Zach Werenski.
Finish The Game
The New York Rangers will have to fight tonight to finish the game in regulation.
The team is 22-1-4 after leading the game in two periods, and tonight should be no different against the Jackets.
In order to do that, they will have to reverse their fortunes which saw their shots limited on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
In the last two games, they have been outshot 63-40, and it is crucial they have the best chances to score as they've missed the net 41 times in that time period while missing the net on 21 high-danger chances.
More or less, better shot quality is needed, and more shots on the goal should be the directive.
Keep Breadman Hot
Artemi Panarin is the bread and butter of offense for the lineup, as he's a natural sniper and goal scorer for the team.
He's scored goals in the last four games for the Rangers, and the team is 14-3-3 when he's on an offensive streak.
The Rangers will have to figure out how to keep him out of his slump, which left the team without his help from February 7th to 28th.
Soucy is Saucy
Since the acquisition of Carson Soucy on March 7th, he's found a way to contribute to the Rangers' offense with a goal against the Senators on March 8th.
Soucy capitalized on an assist from Artemi Panarin and became the 26th goal scorer for the Rangers this season.
Soucy will be the third newest Rangers acquisition to make his debut in MSG tonight, after playing his first game with the squad in Ottawa.
Calvin DeHaan and Juuso Parssinen made their debut against the Nashville Predators after being acquired from the Avalanche and helped the blue shirts blank the team who has seen better days.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
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