Must-Win Against Rival Islanders Falls Well Short

There is always a danger to playing teams who have nothing to play for. The New York Islanders came into the game on March 31 against the Rangers already having been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. However, it was the Rangers who came out looking like they could care less about the game.

Rangers' coach John Tortorella warned his team that the rival Islanders would be playing loose and would look to spoil the Rangers playoffs hopes. He was certainly correct.

The first period ended at 0-0, and the scoring was broke when Rangers forward Vinny Prospal, who missed much of the season due to injury, was able to beat goalie Al Montoya for a goal.

And then the sky fell.

The Islanders would please the home-town fans, scoring 6 unanswered to leave the Rangers scratching their heads and with a defeat. Losing is tough, but especially to a rival that is not playoff caliber.

The Rangers have lost two in a row, losing to the Sabres 1-0 in the previous game. The Rangers have now scored 5 goals in 5 games, and are clearly in need of some offense.

Playoff hopes have become a little more bleak for the Blueshirts, as they are now tied for 7th with the Sabres, and are 3 points ahead of the Hurricanes. However, both of those teams have played one less game. Unfortunately for the Rangers, with 4 games to play, their next two games are against Eastern Conference giants, the Flyers and Bruins. The road ahead will be tough