When the Rangers looked awful in a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of the Ducks on March 9, it looked as if the Blueshirts’ playoff hopes were in serious jeopardy.
But since the Rangers spent two days practicing in California ahead of the second game of that trip — a 3-2 shootout victory over the Sharks three nights later — the Blueshirts have looked like a completely different group, rattling off four straight wins, including scoring five or more goals in each of their past three games heading into tonight’s matchup at the Garden against the Panthers.
“I just think when we were losing, when we were struggling there a little bit, our game wasn’t far off,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said after practice yesterday. “We haven’t played many bad games this year. We just need to stay with it, stay with it and play the right way. We’ve gotten a few bounces, and we have just found ways to win hockey games.”
The four-game winning streak has given the Rangers some much-needed breathing room in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race. They have 82 points, sitting three points ahead of the eighth-place Sabres and six ahead of the ninth-place Hurricanes, with both teams having a game in hand on the Blueshirts.
Still, the Rangers can’t afford to take less than two points at home against the lowly Panthers, who tied for second-to-last in the Eastern Conference.
“Even teams that aren’t going to make the playoffs, they feel it’s important to end the season well, and to feel good, so they’re going to come hard,” goaltender Henrik Lundqvist said. “There’s no easy games, that’s for sure.”
Lundqvist, who made 38 saves in Sunday’s win despite a stiff neck — suffered following a collision with Montreal’s Benoit Pouliot late in the third period of Friday’s 6-3 win over the Canadiens — said he still wasn’t 100 percent, but would definitely be back between the pipes for tonight’s game.
“For me, when I play I try to look around a lot [and] locate players, not only where the puck is,” Lundqvist said. “So I put a lot of strain on my neck.
“It’s definitely better than Friday night, so it’s getting there. But I would guess it’s a couple more days before I feel really good.”
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Defensemen Marc Staal and Ryan McDonagh missed yesterday’s practice. Tortorella had no update on Staal’s condition after the defenseman was scratched from the lineup for Sunday’s 5-2 triumph in Pittsburgh with an undisclosed injury.
Staal’s replacement in the lineup against the Penguins, Steve Eminger, drew praise from Tortorella for his performance.
“He led our team in hits, made some good defensive plays, played well in our end zone,” Tortorella said. “He did all the things he needed to do to play for us.”
McDonagh was held out of yesterday’s practice as a precaution, according to Tortorella, after he was elbowed in the head by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke early in the third period Sunday. McDonagh, who didn’t suffer from any post-concussion symptoms after the game, is expected to be back in the lineup tonight.