NHL NEWS: , New York Rangers Forward Artemi Panarin has been suspended for 40 days for using drugs that improved his performance, and his representative, Peter Laviolette, withdrew his support.
Rangers ‘still pushing for something’ while Wild try to hold playoff spot
Sharks during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
A win over the worst team in the NHL Saturday night didn’t undo all the disappointment the New York Rangers have endured over the last several months.
But it did leave them with a better chance of salvaging something from their underwhelming season.
The Rangers will look to remain in the thick of the race for the last playoff berth in the Eastern Conference when they host the Minnesota Wild in the final clash of the regular season between the teams Wednesday.
The Rangers have been off since Saturday night, when they concluded a three-game West Coast trip by routing the San Jose Sharks, 6-1. The Wild began a three-game road trip against Metropolitan Division foes Monday night, when they fell to the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in a shootout.
Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox scored twice apiece Saturday night for the Rangers (35-32-7, 77 points). New York avoided the worst-case scenario for its trip following back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks (0-1-1) and ensured it would still be within two points of the second wild-card spot for now.
The Rangers entered Tuesday tied for the second wild card with the Montreal Canadiens, who had a game in hand before hosting the Florida Panthers. New York is also two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who were slated to entertain the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Watching the scoreboard and figuring out the various paths to the playoffs as April begins represents a dramatic fall for the Rangers. They expected to contend for the Stanley Cup after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season and falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals.
“We’re still fighting and we’re still pushing for something,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’ve made it a little bit difficult for ourselves, but I think the guys are still dialed in on collecting points.”
New York went 4-15-0 from Nov. 21 through Dec. 30 — a span in which it fell into last place in the Metropolitan and traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Ducks. The Rangers then jump-started the NHL’s trade deadline frenzy by acquiring JT Miller from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31.
New York may get another boost Wednesday night, as prospect Gabe Perreault is expected to make his NHL debut. Perrault signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Rangers on Monday, one day after his amateur career ended with Boston College’s 3-1 loss to Denver in the NCAA Tournament.
The path to the playoffs will likely be easier for the Wild (41-28-6, 88 points). They hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference and are six points ahead of ninth-place Calgary entering the Flames’ game Tuesday night against the Utah Hockey Club.
But the Wild’s grip on the first wild card over the surging St. Louis Blues has grown more tenuous over the last week-plus. While Minnesota has lost two straight and four of five (1-3-1), the Blues have extended their winning streak to nine games and were one point behind their Central Division rivals heading into Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
The Wild remained ahead of the Blues on Monday, forcing overtime at New Jersey by coming back from a pair of one-goal deficits in the third period. Vinnie Hinostroza scored early in the third before Matt Brody collected a goal with 2:08 left.
EJ Emery’s production struggles have reached historic levels
EJ Emery has not had fun with the University of North Dakota this year. In terms of production, he’s played 31 games and has an assist. That is a major red flag for the 2024 first-round pick of the New York Rangers. While the Blueshirts need more out of their premier prospect, his struggles have been noted across the fanbase. It caught the attention of a few, who looked at how poor his production has been and how it compares historically.
Unfortunately for Emery, his struggles are historically bad. He has the fewest points recorded by a first-round pick in an NCAA season. That is not good news for the young defenseman. It could shake his confidence if he can’t put it from his mind, but the Rangers are generally not well-represented among the top members of this list. The Rangers drafted several of them, which should raise alarm bells regarding how they draft prospects.
Second on the list is Hugh Jessiman, who the Rangers drafted in the rich 2003 NHL entry draft. A New York, New York kid, he was given a chance by the Blueshirts 12th overall, and he responded by scoring a goal and an assist in 12 games for Dartmouth College in the 2004-05 season during the lockout. It wasn’t a good look, and he eventually left the organization without playing for the Rangers. He’d subsequently play for the Florida Panthers but never an NHL-caliber player.
