New York Rangers fans hoping to play the Atlantic division in the first round of the playoffs are playing with a dangerous double-edged sword.

Professional sports teams approach every matchup with dignity and honor. At least fans like to think they do.

“Tanking” games to obtain a better draft pick or a more favorable playoff spot is disrespectful, it’s wrong, and it’s gutless. (Yes, if that sounds familiar. it’s a John Tortorella reference.)

Now there will always be your pitiful, classless teams like the New York Islanders of 2015-16. John Tavares and the boys tanked their last game of the regular season versus their “rival” New York Rangers in order to avoid playing the soon to be Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Instead, the Isles took the low road and defeated the Florida Panthers in the opening round to then be beaten by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.

Serves them right.

The New York Rangers currently have 88 points and sit in the highly coveted first wild card position. The Blueshirts will not, I repeat, will not be trying to lose games on purpose to maintain this slot. The organization has too much class and respect for the game.

However, as the season plays out and the teams in the Metropolitan continue to play top-notch hockey, the Rangers will likely remain the top wild card team. Many fans and sports analysts believe this is the path to take if Alain Vigneault and the boys are serious about a Cup run.

Don’t be so sure this is the best idea.

Let’s break down the two divisions in the Eastern Conference:

The Metropolitan Division

There is no hiding that the Metro is the best division is hockey. In fact, it’s not even close. I’d be surprised if the 2017 Stanley Cup Champion was not one of these great four teams atop the division.

Washington Capitals (1st in Metro, 95 points)

The Caps added top trade deadline target Kevin Shattenkirk bolstering their blueline. Add that to an already extremely dynamic offense that has thrived in every situation and you get the Stanley Cup favorite. Although, they seem to be Cup favorites every year and can’t make it out of the second round, so there is that too.

Yeah, we know, this is the Caps year. Surprisingly, the Rangers have won two of the three matchups against the Caps this season. They’re still a team I’d rather avoid during the tourney.

Columbus Blue Jackets (Second in Metro, 90 points)

John Tortorella is doing it again. He has revitalized the gritty, hard working guys in Columbus. Stellar goaltending by Sergei Bobrovsky, electric offense by Cam Atkinson, and an outstanding rookie year by Zach Werenski are reasons to avoid the Blue Jackets.

On top of all that add a coach with a “give it all you got every night mentality” and that equals a rough first round playoff matchup. The Rangers are 2-3 in the five games against CBJ this season. Avoid this team at all costs.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Third in Metro, 88 points)

The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins. Need I say more?

Seriously, after the brutal spanking of the New York Rangers last season, the boys surely don’t want to see Sidney Crosby in the first round. Add great defense, offense, goaltending and special teams and you have a recipe for disaster. The Rangers have lost two of three matchups against the Pens this season.

It’s really simple to understand why teams want to avoid the metropolitan division. Each of the three teams listed above has excelled in all areas of the game including offense, defense, special teams, and goaltending. Instead, the Rangers can avoid all these teams, let them play each other in the first and second rounds, beat the crap out of each other and then play a tired, injured, and beat up metropolitan division team in the conference final.

There is your answer. Remain in the first wild card spot and play the teams in the Atlantic division in the opening rounds of the playoffs. This scenario will be a dangerous double-edged sword that could prove fatal to the New York Rangers.

The Atlantic Division

There is no denying that the Atlantic division is the weaker division in the Eastern Conference. As it sits now, the teams representing the Atlantic division would be the flailing Montreal Canadiens with 82 points, the Ottawa Senators with 78 points, and the Boston Bruins with 74 points.

I’m going to hold off my discussion of the Montreal Canadiens for the next page as I dive deeper into the details there.

Ottawa Senators (Second in Atlantic, 78 points)

The Ottawa Senators are a very average team with no major threats on offense, defense, or goaltending. That being said, Craig Anderson has compiled a great season even in the midst of his wife’s cancer battle. Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman, and Mark Stone are all offensive threats specifically on the power play. Overall their defense is subpar and Anderson can be beaten. Not at all worried about a matchup with the Senators. The Rangers are 1-1 in two games against Ottawa this season.

Boston Bruins (Third in Atlantic, 74 points)

The Bruins truly aren’t a very good team. Tuukka Rask has been good as usual but the team has struggled to win games all season. Despite Brad Marchand having a stellar year with 30 goals, 38 assists, and 68 points the B’s have struggled offensively. The defense is led by the aged and washed up Zdeno Chara and seems to be crumbling around him. The Bruins don’t really pose a threat to the New York Rangers in the first round. The Rangers have defeated the Bruins in all three of their matchups this season.

That leaves the Montreal Canadiens. Why would playing the Atlantic division leading team be such a bad idea after all? Hit next page to find out.

Final Thoughts

The first edge of the sword is playing any of the teams representing the Metropolitan division. The second edge of the sword is the Atlantic division leading Montreal Canadiens. They have the potential to destroy the New York Rangers in an opening round playoff matchup.

Montreal Canadiens (First in Atlantic, 84 points)

The Montreal Canadiens have the perfect blend of size, grit, skill, and leadership to cause problems for the New York Rangers. The Rangers have struggled to hang with the boys of Montreal throughout the season posting a 0-2-1 record against the Canadiens. Of those three games, the Rangers were beat 5-4 in January, 3-2 in a SO in February, and 4-1 in March. The two teams will not play again in the regular season so the next time they face-off may be in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The real problem the Rangers face battling Montreal is their goaltender Carey Price. He has been lights out against the Broadway Blueshirts his entire career. Price has posted a career 15-5-1 record against the boys in the 22 games he has played. Along with that incredible record, he sports a goals against average of 1.82 and an unfair .940 save percentage in 22 career games against the Rangers. 

The last thing Alain Vigneault should want to get into is a goalie battle between a goalie in his prime, Carey Price, and a goalie coming out of his prime, Henrik Lundqvist.

Shots Fired! Yeah, I said it.

Hank is no longer in his prime. Good goalie? Yes. World class goalie who puts fear into the opponents eyes? Sadly, no longer.

If the New York Rangers want to make a legitimate Stanley Cup run playing the Montreal Canadiens should prove to be a great challenge.

In conclusion, the New York Rangers will play whoever they fall in line with come April 10, the end of the regular season. On one hand, you want to avoid the very difficult Metropolitan division. On the other hand, you want to avoid a goalie who can single-handedly shut down the Rangers due to his personal vendetta. I’m looking at you, Chris Kreider.

Needless to say, the Stanley Cup Finals are looking to be as exciting as ever and fans should be looking forward to the best hockey of the year. Let’s Go Rangers!

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