The Rangers are headed back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Blueshirts wrapped up at least a Wild Card berth after the Florida Panthers fell 5-2 to the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout on Monday night.
New York (96 points) is the fourth team in the East to clinch behind fellow Metropolitan Division teams the Carolina Hurricanes (103 points) and Devils (100 points) and the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins (119 points) and Toronto Maple Leafs (97 points).
There is a chance the Rangers could get matched up with the Devils, something coach Gerard Gallant spoke about Monday.
“Right now it looks like we’re going to play New Jersey,” Gallant said. “And, you know, it’s a 35-minute bus drive across there and it be interesting and a lot of fun, but again, I don’t really care who we play.”
He added: “No matter what team you’re gonna play it’s gonna be a battle.”
The Rangers, who lost in the Conference Finals a season ago, will make the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since they made it seven-straight seasons between 2010-11 and 2016-17.
