The New York Rangers have had a very impressive season up to this point. Under new head coach Peter Laviolette, they have thrived from the start, ultimately leading up to staying atop the metro division for basically the entire season, with there still being about a month left in the regular season. However, even after their recent stretch of being 16-3-1, the surging Hurricanes sit just 4 points back of New York.
Furthermore, there have been plenty of debates on all types of social media by fans on whether or not they want the Rangers to finish in first place. In this article I will give the likely first round matchups, with pros and cons of each, and lastly, my take on how I want the standings to play out.
Opponent 1: Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are shaping to be the most likely first round matchup for the Blueshirts. They have a pretty rich playoff history against one another, with the Bolts defeating the Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals in both 2015 and 2022. But I’m here to tell you that this years Bolts are not as daunting as the team we saw in the early 2020’s. This season, the Rangers went 2-1-0 against Tampa, with the most recent showing being a 6-3 loss in which the Rangers surrendered a 2-0 lead. But 2-0 leads are no fret to the Bolts, as their Eastern Conference reign in 2022 also involved having to come back from 2-0 against New York. During this years trade deadline, General Manager Julien BriseBois brought in Anthony Duclair and Matt Dumba. Yes, these moves do make Tampa Bay more of a force to be reckoned with. Yes, they still do have an amazing core of Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. But what’s also true is that the Rangers have players to match at every position in Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, and Igor Shesterkin.
So Rangers fans, if we want the Blueshirts to get over the hump on their quest to their first Stanley Cup in 30 years, at least as it stands right now, they will likely have to knock off the mighty Lightning who never seem to go away.
Opponent 2: Detroit Red Wings
If the playoffs were to start today, it would not include the Detroit Red Wings. But that’s not to say that they cannot make it. Detroit has shown flashes of being a good team, and the addition of Patrick Kane can help bolster their chances. So far this season, the Blueshirts have defeated the Wings both times and still have another meeting with them in early April. Detroits’ core consists of (as previously mentioned) Kane, Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Moritz Seider. They do have multiple holes on defense outside of Seider, but when they’re on their game, it seems that offensively at least, they can go toe-to-toe with anybody. Alex Lyon has been a great story in goal, but his playoff track record is yet to be determined. It is unlikely that these two will face off in the first round, but it’s not impossible…
Opponent 3: Philadelphia Flyers
Similarly to the two teams to follow Philly, they are a possible first round matchup in two scenarios: One being, Rangers win the metro and Philly is a wild card, and two, if the Rangers fall to second and the Flyers jump to third. Either way, the Flyers, led by head coach John Tortorella, can’t be taken lightly under any circumstances. The Rangers have beaten the Flyers in their first two meetings, but the wins were not easy, especially the most recent matchup, a 2-1 victory on February 24th. Some notable players on their roster are Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson, Morgan Frost, and newly acquired Jamie Drysdale. And like Detroit, they, too, have a question mark in goal. Most of these names won’t “wow” you, but never count out a team coached by Tortorella, who might win the Jack Adams for coach of the year if the Flyers make it to the dance. So in my opinion, yes, Philly is probably the “best” matchup for the Rangers, but I prefer not to wish for an opponent.
Opponent 4: Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals, as of right now, are in a playoff spot. Whether or not that lasts is too be determined. But so far this season, the Rangers split the season series at two a piece against the Caps. Like the Flyers, a lot of the names on their roster won’t “wow” you, but it is hard to count out a core that, when clicking, can be an underrated and dangerous team to deal with. In three out of the four meetings this season, the Rangers have scored two or less goals against Washington, including a 4-0 shutout loss on December 9th. Which leads me to my next point: Charlie Lindgren, brother of Ryan, CAN steal a playoff series if he’s on his game. It is especially challenging to score on him as is because he catches with his glove on his right hand. The underlying metrics for the Caps are not that good, but never doubt a team with Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. Do they have one more run left in them?
Opponent 5: New York Islanders
I think besides the Lightning, the cross town rival Islanders are probably the second most likely first round matchup. The Rangers lead the season series so far, winning the first two meetings, but there are still two games remaining with the rivals. Newly hired Patrick Roy has the Isles playing a little bit better, but the results have not been promising. Following a six game winning streak, they are currently on a four game losing streak. Inconsistency has been their biggest issue all season. But it also doesn’t help that players like Ilya Sorokin, Anders Lee, Adam Pelech, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau are all underperforming. However, Matthew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, and Noah Dobson especially are all having very good seasons. So if Sorokin can rebound and get hot at the right time before the playoffs and the Islanders do manage to sneak in, with their recent playoff track records of going to the Eastern Conference Finals in back to back seasons in 2020 and 2021, I wouldn’t rule them out just yet.
My final verdict:
It seems that winning the metro would ironically place the Rangers in the toughest first round matchup and play the Lightning, but to be frank, there is no such thing as an easy opponent in the playoffs. Especially in the NHL playoffs we’ve seen in years past that anything can happen and it takes one play or bounce to change the spectrum of a game, or even a series.
I think it would be very important to win the metropolitan division because getting that last change is so important. We all know the Rangers have already won a Game 7 on the road in Carolina, but this time around, it might not be as easy with the newly acquired Jake Guentzel and Kuznetsov.
Just imagine the Blueshirts having home ice for all three rounds, or two rounds even. Baba O’Riley playing before a Game 7. The chills of the crowd. The atmosphere at The Garden that no arena can match. Peter Laviolette getting the last line change and exploiting his best matchups. Sounds perfect right? That’s because it is the most ideal situation if the Blueshirts want to win their first Stanley Cup since 1994.
So for this season, as it stands, having the Eastern Conference go through Madison Square Garden would be best case scenario for all involved…
BS Reports 
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