BLUES How's that old saying go? If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself? That's pretty much how the St. Louis Blues must feel after having two opportunities to clinch a playoff spot this week with help from other teams, but those teams both came up short.
So, the Blues can clinch a playoff spot on their own with a win or even an overtime or shootout loss Friday at Madison Square Garden. The Blues meet the New York Rangers at 6 p.m.
With six games remaining in the regular season, the Blues sit just two points behind the Nashville Predators for second place and four behind the Winnipeg Jets for the division lead.
"It's awesome," Ryan O'Reilly said of battling for playoff positioning. "It's one of the best things in hockey, when you're kind of playing meaningful games and preparing for playoffs. It's what it's all about. It feels good, but there's still a lot of work left, too."
RANGERSDavid Pastrnak had a hat trick and added two assists for the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, leading Boston to a 6-3 win against the New York Rangers at TD Garden.
Mika Zibanejad scored two goals for the Rangers, while Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves.
"I mean it's hard enough to win in this League when you don't beat yourself, and you know, we did a lot of good things early, hanging around a really good hockey team, then just imploded," Rangers Head Coach David Quinn told NHL.com.
Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich extended his point streak to five games Wednesday (two goals, three assists). The Rangers, who are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and have 71 points this season, have been eliminated from postseason contention.
HEAD-TO-HEAD Friday's game will the second and final meeting between the Blues and Rangers this season. New York won the first matchup 2-1 in St. Louis on Dec. 31. The Blues are 9-2-1 in their last 12 games at Madison Square Garden.
