Rangers-Flyers: And Then There Were Two

The New York Rangers have just two games left and it could come down to the final day of the regular season and stretch run before they know if they are in the playoffs this season.

After a huge game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Rangers now own the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, moving out of a tie with Florida, as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Panthers last night.

The Flyers 2-1 victory over Florida clinched a playoff spot for Philadelphia. Jeff Carter got his 45th goal of the year. The Flyers did the Rangers a favour by beating Florida.

The Flyers are now tied with the Carolina Hurricanes in points and sit in fourth place as they have fewer losses than the Canes.

The last time the Flyers and Rangers had a back-to-back, home and home series, they split the games, with each team winning at home. The Rangers outscored the Flyers over the two games.

In their last game, the Rangers won convincingly, 4-1.

The Rangers dominated the Canadiens last night and got goals from new and old Rangers. Nik Antropov and Sean Avery, both acquired at the NHL Trade Deadline, combined for the game winner.

Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan were responsible for the other two. Antropov and Drury were the goal scorers, Avery and Callahan set them up.

New Rangers coach John Tortorella juggled his lines a bit, trading Antropov for Callahan, and it paid off as they were involved in all three Rangers goals.

The Rangers dominated their last two games, against the Boston Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes, but scored only two goals in those games.

The Flyers will play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night and the New Yorkers' final game of the regular season will be in Philadelphia late Sunday afternoon.

The playoffs start right after that. If the playoffs started tomorrow, it would be Boston and the Rangers in the first round, the Washington Capitals hosting the Canadiens, the New Jersey Devils, now in third, against the streaking Pittsburgh Penguins; and the Flyers hosting the 'Canes.

A lot could change as a result of games in the next week. The Rangers have to fight off the Flyers and could finish ahead of the Canadiens. Montreal could sink behind New York or climb over Pittsburgh.

The Penguins could still get ahead of both the 'Canes and the Flyers. The Hurricanes have won their last nine games in a row, so they look like they are still on their way up.

If the Florida Panthers win their final two games and the Montreal Canadiens lose theirs, the Panthers could replace the Canadiens in the playoff picture.

The bottom half of the Western Conference is also tightly packed. The Nashville Predators, in ninth, could still climb into the playoffs as the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks are tied in eighth with 88 and the Columbus Blue Jackets are just one win above them, with 90.