Uh-Oh

This was not a good night for the Rangers to lose.

Zach will have more about this game later. But for now, real quick. The Rangers are still in the playoff hunt, but just barely. Florida is two points back of the eight-seeded Rangers; what's worse is that Florida has one game in hand. Even worse than that, though, is that the game in hand is against the hapless Thrashers. The Panthers play the Thrashers twice in their final five games, though games against the Penguins, Capitals and Flyers ensure that if Florida does qualify for the playoffs, it will certainly be well-deserved.

The Rangers' upcoming schedule? At Boston on Saturday, where the Bruins are making a push for the President's Trophy. Tuesday, they host the desperate Canadiens. The final two games are a home-and-home against Philadelphia, who will surely bring its A-game as the Flyers attempt to earn home ice advantage in the first round. To say that none of these games will be easy is a huge understatement.

You figure Florida will beat Atlanta in both matchups and should be good for three points in their games against Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Washington. That would leave them with 94 points. The Rangers would need five points in their final points to match that total. If the Rangers and Panthers tie for the eight seed, here's how the tie would be broken:

 - Total Wins. The Rangers currently have 40, while Florida has 38. Though those two games against the Thrashers makes this differential much more surmountable.

 - Points Earned In Head-To-Head Competition. The Rangers are 1-2-1 against Florida this year. So if there's a tie and the teams have the same number of wins, Florida gets the nod.

 - Goal Differential. It won't come to this, but Florida has an even goal differential while the Rangers' differential is minus-11.

Make no mistake, not qualifying for the playoffs would be a disaster for the Rangers. But it wouldn't diminish the fact that Florida is a pretty good team and has earned its place in the playoff picture. Part of me hopes they get in because it would help the franchise exponentially. But a Rangers team in the playoffs is good for ratings and publicity, things the NHL needs desperately. That path to the playoffs would have been infinitely easier had they beaten Carolina tonight. Now, they don't even control their own destiny.