Tonight’s contest with the Carolina Hurricanes could determine how New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton charts the course for the team’s future. It’s much more than a matter of where the team will be in the standings after the game is over. It’s how they respond to the challenge of playing a road game against a key playoff rival.
The Hurricanes need to win this game as much as the Rangers. They are in the final wild card spot, but it is a precarious hold on that position. They have the same number of points as the New York Islanders, but own the regulation wins tie breaker.