Mar 12, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) and Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) battle in the third period at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
NHL: New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes
NEW YORK — Nobody has ever advised losing games in the NHL. But for the New York Rangers, it might be beneficial.
The Blueshirts currently lead the Metropolitan division with 96 points, clinging to a narrow two-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes (94 points).
The scorching-hot Canes have gone 6-1 since the trade deadline at which they added Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov, and 7-1 in their last eight. Their only defeat came at home to the Rangers on March 12.
Both teams have just 12 games remaining on their scheduling. And with the playoffs around the corner, it might be more substantial to finish in second place in the Metro than winning the title.
There are, of course, benefits for the division winner. But not many. There is only one, actually. That would be guaranteed home-ice advantage in the second round of the playoffs
As it stands now, the Metro champion would face the first wild-card Lightning in the first round while the runner-up would get the Flyers or Caps (or the Islanders or Devils).
To make a long story short, second place in the division is the better option.
For the sake of argument, would the hypothetical division champion ’Canes have a leg up on the hypothetical runner-up Rangers if the two teams met in Round 2? Not really. New York is 4-1 over the last three seasons in Raleigh — including a postseason Game 7 win in Carolina in 2022.
But no need to get cure. Let the games play out.
The Rangers have bigger fish to fry. New York should be more concerned with getting two of their top four defensemen back healthy — in Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren.
But the moral of the story is simple. Sometimes you can win for losing.
