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Playoff update: Rangers remain rugged on the road

New York Rangers v Edmonton Oilers

EDMONTON, AB - MARCH 30: Mark Fraser #5 of the Edmonton Oilers tries to check Derick Brassard #16 of the New York Rangers during an NHL game at Rexall Place on March 30, 2014 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)

Derek Leung

Let’s take a look at how Sunday’s game changed the playoff picture, starting with the East because the West didn’t really see any significant impacts.

East outlook


  • The two top teams won games on Sunday. The Boston Bruins edged the Philadelphia Flyers in an exciting game that ended in a shootout while the Pittsburgh Penguins made life miserable for the Chicago Blackhawks.
  • The New York Rangers tied a franchise record with their 24th road win by pummeling the Edmonton Oilers 5-0. About the only dim news is that Martin St. Louis’ surprising goal drought continued.
  • The Detroit Red Wings managed a big win against the Tampa Bay Lightning (who may be primed to be the lower seed against the Montreal Canadiens in a first-round series).
  • Much like the aforementioned Flyers, the Washington Capitals only managed a “charity point” in their shootout loss to the Nashville Predators.
  • The Ottawa Senators crushed the Calgary Flames, although it’s almost certainly too late to matter.

Here’s a look at the standings via NBC Sports:

march30outlook

James OBrien

West stays the same, more or less


  • Really, the most relevant West teams (as far as the spots/positions that are still in play) were idle on Sunday.
  • The Blackhawks lost to the Penguins, as mentioned, which really just increases their chances of losing home-ice advantage against the Colorado Avalanche.
  • You can basically replace the Ottawa Senators with the Nashville Predators to capture their situation (although the Preds are probably an even bigger long shot).
  • The bad/lowly ranked teams lost fairly convincingly on Sunday.

Take a look for yourself:

westoutlookmarch30

James OBrien

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins