PLAYOFFS!

They made it. They say that sometimes its better to be lucky than good.  The Rangers were headed for defeat and a must win game against the Devils on Saturday when lady luck intervened. Down 3-2 and less than three minutes to go Brad Richards let one go from the blue line, off the boards behind the Carolina net and off the right skate of Carolina goalie Dan Ellis into the net to tie the score. Then Captain Crunch, Ryan Callahan, took over in OT and the Rangers were on their way to the playoffs.

Maybe it wouldn't have mattered anyway as the Jets lost to Montreal and got eliminated. So now the Rangers are in a three way tie for 6th, 7th and 8th with the Senators and Islanders, all with 54 points. The Senators have two games left and the Rangers and Isles one each. It doesn't matter the final positions as this tourney is wide open. Unless Sidney Crosby returns and is in mid-season form all eight teams have a shot at the Eastern Conference. You could make a case for any team.

The case for the Rangers, pure and simple, is Henrik Lundqvist. He is the top money goalie in the NHL. Sure, the Rangers have offensive weapons but they are not used correctly and besides the team mantra is defense, block shots and some more defense. They have a terrible game coach but the team has true grit which overcomes the deficiencies, sometimes. A lot of players have been overused and this could take a toll in the playoffs which can be gruelling.

But right now the first objective has been accomplished, the Rangers are in the playoffs. Let's worry about that other stuff tomorrow.

ICINGS:The Blue Jackets beat Dallas last night and are tied with Minnesota for the final spot. Columbus has one game left, at home, against Nashville. Minnesota is at home against Edmonton and the last game is at Colorado.