The Tampa Bay Lightning have officially secured a playoff spot for the eighth consecutive season, while the New York Rangers are in danger of missing the postseason just a year after finishing as the NHL’s top regular-season team.
Tampa Bay (44-26-6, 94 points) is currently chasing the Toronto Maple Leafs for the lead in the Atlantic Division and is also aiming to stay ahead of the Florida Panthers to earn home-ice advantage in a potential first-round playoff matchup against the reigning Stanley Cup champions. With six games left, the Lightning are hoping to close the two-point gap at the top when they face the Rangers on Monday night.
The Lightning have been strong recently, going 17-6-2 over their last 25 games. However, after scoring 23 goals during a four-game win streak, their offense has cooled, producing only three goals in the last two games. In their most recent game against the Buffalo Sabres, Brayden Point scored his 39th goal early in the second period, but the Lightning lost the lead in the third and couldn’t convert in the shootout, resulting in a 3-2 loss. Tampa Bay has now gone 3-3-2 over its past eight road games.
Despite the loss, backup goaltender Jonas Johansson stood out, making 36 saves and keeping the Lightning competitive despite defensive breakdowns. Point acknowledged the defensive lapses and stressed the need for improvement heading into the playoffs.
The Lightning clinched their postseason spot thanks to the Rangers’ poor showing in a 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. The defeat drew harsh criticism, including from former Rangers captain Mark Messier during ABC’s broadcast.
The Rangers (36-33-7, 79 points) are four points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild-card position as of Sunday. Their remaining schedule includes two matchups against the Lightning and road games against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Panthers.
New York followed up back-to-back wins against the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks with a flat performance against the Devils. The team struggled to create quality scoring chances and their power play remained ineffective. They went 0-for-2 on the power play Saturday and are now just 3-for-52 over their last 19 games in man-advantage situations. That’s a stark contrast to their 5-for-15 success from Feb. 1 to Feb. 23.
Adding to their struggles, the Rangers gave up both a power-play goal and a short-handed goal within 87 seconds during the second period against New Jersey. In their last five games, opponents have gone 5-for-15 on the power play and scored three short-handed goals.
Rangers defenseman Adam Fox pointed out that the team’s struggles are not just about failing to score but also about not building momentum. He said the lack of execution and forced plays could be contributing to the defensive lapses and poor overall performance during this critical stretch.