The New York Rangers are heading to the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
New York defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 in overtime in Tuesday’s showdown but had already clinched their postseason spot before the game went final thanks to their overtime point and the Detroit Red Wings losing to the Washington Capitals in overtime.
Here is a look at where the Rangers sit in the current standings:
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins: 42-16-15, 99 points
Florida Panthers: 46-21-5, 97 points
Toronto Maple Leafs: 40-21-9, 89 points
Metropolitan Division
New York Rangers: 48-20-4, 100 points
Carolina Hurricanes: 45-21-7, 97 points
Philadephia Flyers: 36-27-10, 82 points
Wild-Card Race
Tampa Bay Lightning: 39-25-7, 85 points
Washington Capitals: 36-26-9, 81 points
Detroit Red Wings: 36-29-7, 79 points
New York Islanders: 30-26-15, 75 points
New Jersey Devils: 35-33-4, 74 points
Buffalo Sabres: 34-33-5, 73 points
Pittsburgh Penguins: 31-30-10, 72 points
Ottawa Senators: 30-36-4, 64 points
Montréal Canadiens: 26-32-12, 64 points
Columbus Blue Jackets: 23-36-12, 58 points (eliminated from playoff contention)
Western Conference
Central Division
Colorado Avalanche: 46-20-5, 97 points
Dallas Stars: 44-19-9, 97 points
Winnipeg Jets: 44-22-5, 93 points
Pacific Division
Vancouver Canucks: 45-19-8, 98 points
Edmonton Oilers: 42-23-4, 88 points
Los Angeles Kings: 38-22-11, 87 points
Wild-Card Race
Nashville Predators: 42-25-4, 88 points
Vegas Golden Knights: 39-25-7, 85 points
St. Louis Blues: 38-30-4, 80 points
Minnesota Wild: 34-28-9, 77 points
Calgary Flames: 33-32-5, 71 points
Seattle Kraken: 28-29-13, 69 points
Arizona Coyotes: 29-37-5, 63 points
Anaheim Ducks: 24-43-4, 52 points (eliminated from playoff contention)
Chicago Blackhawks: 20-46-5, 45 points (eliminated from playoff contention)
San Jose Sharks: 16-46-8, 40 points (eliminated from playoff contention)
While New York is no stranger to making the postseason, it hasn’t won a Stanley Cup title since the 1993-94 campaign. Last season ended in disappointment with a first-round loss to the New Jersey Devils, although it reached the 2022 Eastern Conference Final.
This season’s team may have the starpower to advance further, as evidenced by Tuesday’s win.
Artemi Panarin is a points machine who added two assists in the 6-5 victory, while Alexis Lafreniere scored two goals. Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox each had a goal and assist as well.
Panarin, Trocheck, Chris Kreider, Fox and Zibanejad all entered play with more than 60 points on the season, and Panarin cracked the triple-digit total with his 101st point thanks to his two assists.
It will be difficult for any opponent to contain so many offensive options over the course of a seven-game series, and goaltender Igor Shesterkin is typically much better than he showed by allowing five goals against the Flyers.
The combination of Shesterkin and veteran Jonathan Quick gives New York quite the one-two punch in net and multiple options who could get hot come playoff time.
It is Stanley Cup or bust for the Rangers, who are sitting atop the Metropolitan Division. Madison Square Garden will surely be rocking throughout the playoffs, and more six-goal games like Tuesday’s won’t do anything to change that.
