Oops

And then, after coming out about as flat as I've seen us all season two nights ago, we continued to not get up for last night's game, against the goddamn Islanders, no less. Awful efforts from everyone. Hank was pulled after two just to get him out of there, not that anything was his fault, but now all of a sudden everything's a must-win and I'm afraid last night's 20 minutes are gonna be the last of his rest for the season. Brian Boyle made more stupid passes in the last two games than he had in the previous rest of the season combined. 0-for-7, was it, on the power play? How about a minute of 5-on-3 in which the point men are Christensen and Zuccarello? Turns out: they just play catch with each other at the blue line for a while.

For the second night in a row, we just didn't get to where we wanted to be as quickly as we wanted to be there. Even Callahan and Gaborik (who were still the best forwards on the ice, for what it's worth) were a step behind. This was not the two games we needed this week, for a final playoff push.

So, here's where things stand:

6. Montréal - 89 pts, 4 GR
7. Buffalo - 87 pts, 5 GR
8. NEW YORK RANGERS - 87 pts, 4 GR
--------------------
9. Carolina - 84 pts, 5 GR

Oops! That happened! So, if we assume that Buffalo and Carolina win their games-in-hand just for a minute, we end up sitting in 8th, with two teams tied for 6th two points ahead of us, and with Carolina only one point behind, with four games to go in the season.

As Steve Zipay tweeted, there are "no games on today's NHL schedule that affect [the] Rangers' status of backing out of [the] playoffs." However, tomorrow, we've got Montréal at New Jersey, Carolina on Long Island, and Buffalo at Washington. Maybe some teams will do us some favors? Looks like it's back to that same old end-of-the-season dance we do. We have to root for the Devils and the Islanders tomorrow night! Fuck that!