Rangers Look to Make Headway in Tight Metro Division

Since its inception for the 2013-14 season, the Metropolitan Division has been one of, if not the, most competitive divisions in the NHL, and this season is no exception.
On Dec. 1, 10 points separate the division-leading Columbus Blue Jackets from the last place Philadelphia Flyers. Columbus' 33 points are just eight points better than Carolina's 25, which is second from the bottom in what could only be described as a meat grinder of a division.
If the playoffs were to begin today, the Metro would send five teams to the postseason, with the Rangers just one point behind Washington for the second wild card spot. The Rangers are just four points out of second, and five behind the top spot.

That's what makes this upcoming four-game stretch the Rangers have against Metro Division rivals so important, beginning tonight with the Hurricanes at The Garden.
"You're really starting to see the impact of how one loss here or there in the standings, how tight it is," said Ryan McDonagh. "For us, we're trying to get points in any fashion and start playing with some consistency here and find a way to put one good period after another back-to-back. That's how we need to play here: short-term thinking and go from there."
Following tonight's game, the Blueshirts won't play again until Tuesday night in Pittsburgh that's followed by a Friday night meeting against the Capitals in Washington. The stretch is wrapped up Saturday night when the Rangers host the Devils at MSG.
"The last few games we feel we've played some teams that maybe weren't effecting our divisional standings," Kevin Shattenkirk said, referring to meetings with Detroit, Vancouver and Florida. "These next four games are a great opportunity for us to make some headway and catch some teams that are ahead of us and some teams that gave us some trouble early on in the season."
The Rangers are 2-3-2 against the Metro this season with wins over Columbus and Carolina. They dropped a 5-4 overtime decision against Pittsburgh back on Oct. 28, and lost to the Devils, 3-2, on Oct. 14. They've yet to face the Capitals this season.
Alain Vigneault is not looking at these upcoming four games as a whole, but rather looking at each individual one as a chance for his team to improve its standing in the competitive division.
"One game at a time," Vigneault said. "If you get caught looking too far ahead or if you get caught looking at the standings - it's competitive."
Vigneault said the competition in the standings and the fact that no team feels out of the race is good for everyone involved.
"I think that's what everyone wants," Vigneault said of the tightness of the division race. "You've got to be sharp, you've got to have all parts of your game going. It's great for the fans and it's great for the players. You've got to get yourself ready to play."