NEW YORK RANGERS
CONNECTICUT WHALE
GREENVILLE ROAD WARRIORS
What is of import to note here is that the Greenville Road Warriors are the only team right now that is assured of a playoff spot. In fact they are number two overall in the entire league trailing just the Reading Royals for the equivalent of the President’s Trophy.
Given how well ex-Ranger GM’s Neil Smith’s team is doing, and if you consider the fact that his team has lost more of its talent than “American Idol” and had more call-ups than a 900-number operator, to be in the position it’s in right now is nothing short of a miracle. Should this team make some real noise in the playoffs, it will be amazing if Smith does not get, at very least, some serious consideration for potential GM openings in the NHL.
AS for the Rangers, they have caught some breaks as Carolina and Buffalo, who had 2 or 3 games in hand each, have been unable to pull away in the “Leastern” Conference.” The Rangers need to get on a roll NOW to get themselves into the “Big Dance” for some Stanley Silver. Let’s be honest here for a moment. Just getting into the play-offs will be a big accomplishment for this bunch. Does anyone really expect them to do much more than make a cameo appearance? They are going to play against Philly or Washington. Philly would likely dispatch them in five or six games, they seem to match up well with Washington and could push that series to seven games and MAYBE pull off a huge upset.
As for the Whale, it’s anyone’s guess whether or not they get in or not. They cannot afford a single performance like the one they put out there on Sunday against Worcester. They are tied for third with the Sharks and are still a point behind Binghamton. The Whale MUST get ahead of one of at least one of those two to assure themselves a spot in the ‘Round of Eight.”
The Whale have 13 games left. Eight of the teams remaining games are at home and they have three left with last place Bridgeport and three left with Springfield, a weaker team, but one still with a chance to get into the playoffs, although that appears unlikely.
Connecticut has three more games that are exceptionally tough starting with Friday night’s road game in Manchester with the first place Monarchs. They have a huge game the following Friday against the Charlotte Checkers who beat them back-to-back on their home ice (Feb. 24 & 26) and lastly they play the always tough, and second place, Portland Pirates on April 3.
How all of these teams finish up, it’s been a great season for fans who follow the entire Rangers’ organization.
