On to the third.
?: @MSGNetworks pic.twitter.com/rfwxehgDWM
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 24, 2019
Despite a fun win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The New York Rangers have officially been eliminated from the mystical yet grueling Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Meanwhile, Montreal beat Buffalo to mathematically eliminate the Rangers from the playoffs. #NYR
— Rick Carpiniello (@RickCarpiniello) March 24, 2019
Entering play Saturday, the Blueshirts’ tragic number was all the way down to one, meaning the playoffs were simply never a possibility during the final weeks of the season.
While the Rangers did their part to stay alive in the playoff hunt, they could not get the help they needed from the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-4 to put the final nail in the coffin on whatever playoff dreams remained.
Despite the inevitable happening, New York’s effort against one of the top teams in the league, the Toronto Maple Leafs, was an admirable one.
They never really let their game slip and even controlled play throughout the early stages in a tough Toronto environment. It’s very easy to be less engaged when your team is on the outside looking in, but not for this Rangers team.
As the remainder of the season unfolds, New York will look to get a look at some of their younger players to see where or if they fit moving forward. This practice already began vs. Toronto when Brendan Lemieux skated on a top line with Pavel Buchnevich and Mika Zibanejad. Not to mention Alexandar Georgiev got another start in goal against a playoff caliber team.
#NYR
WIN
IT
IN
OVERTIME pic.twitter.com/icrfxb8ugo— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 24, 2019
The focus now turns to the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and while the win Saturday does not help their lottery chances, there is still plenty to be excited about.
New York could potentially possess four first-round picks should the conditions of two trades be met. Additionally, they’ll have six picks in the first three rounds during this year’s draft.
All of the excitement begins with the NHL Draft Lottery on April 9.
