It is that time of the year again. The race to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is intensifying with each passing day. While some teams have already made it through to the next round, others are still vying for the limited slots available. Nonetheless, it is a treat for the fans to watch with the next round of action having a resounding effect on the teams’ chances to qualify. With just a few games left in the regular season, the scenarios are becoming clearer now.
As the next round of action unfolds, some teams can clinch the playoff spot while others run the risk of elimination. Among the teams with the best chance to make it through is the Montreal Canadiens, who will clinch the playoff spot with a regulation win against the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens are second in the Eastern Conference wildcard standings, and a win would ensure that they cement their place in the top two, paving the way to make it through to the next round.
On the contrary, the New York Rangers would hope that this doesn’t happen. Not only do they have to hope that the Canadiens lose against the Senators, but they would also be praying that they do so in regulation time. If the Canadiens score at least a point against the Senators, the Rangers would be eliminated from the race. Their neighbors, the Islanders, face a similar scenario and do not have their fate in their own hands.
Scenarios: #GoHabsGo, #MNWild, #LetsGoOilers can clinch their playoff spots; while #CBJ, #LGRW, #Isles, and #NYR all face elimination pic.twitter.com/C8ZmqC3vKg
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) April 11, 2025
Meanwhile, the other teams that are close to qualifying for the Playoffs are the Wild, who need just a win against the Flames. Similarly, if the Oilers score at least a point, they will progress through. On the other hand, the Blue Jackets will be eliminated if the Canadiens have a regulation win against the Senators.
Even as the Rangers are finding some good form of late, they don’t have fate in their own hands. Nonetheless, their head coach and players sounded positive about their chances.
Rangers hopeful about qualifying for Stanley Cup Playoffs
It has been an up-and-down season for the Rangers, and they have lacked consistency for the majority part. However, they recorded one of their biggest wins yesterday, defeating the Islanders 9-2 in stunning fashion. Even as they don’t have the qualification scenario in their own hands and have to depend on other teams, their head coach, Peter Laviolette, was hopeful about progressing through.
He said, “I thought there were some good things that went on with every line. You just look at the zone time and some of the chances we were able to generate, especially at the start of the game, just getting it behind them and playing a simple game.”
Similarly, Brett Berard was elated after a wonderful team performance. “Great team effort from everybody. Ever since the first shift, we were kind of clicking there. [Igor Shesterkin] made a couple huge saves there to keep us in it early, but we played a good team game tonight, and it was fun to watch everyone,” he said, as he praised the team’s comeback following some poor performances.
At UBS Arena on Thursday, Igor Shesterkin made 44 saves for the Rangers, as the team scored four goals in the first and the third period to record a dominating win. And with this, New York moved six points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the second wildcard spot from the Eastern Conference in the Playoffs.
With the games passing by thick and fast, the playoff scenario will be clearer after the next round, which takes place later today. Can the Rangers make it through, or will it be the Canadiens who end the playoff chances of many teams? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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