Travis Zajac #14 of the New York Islanders pushes Ryan Strome #16 of the New York Rangers during the second period at the Nassau Coliseum . (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
There is really no way to tell exactly when the official NHL Playoffs will actually begin given all the COVID rescheduling that has taken place, but none of that should really matter to New York Rangers fans, because for them, the playoffs start tonight.
Make no bones about it, this two-game, home and home set against the hated Islanders is a playoff series. Although the outcome of the series will not be as cut and dried as one team advances the other goes home, the ramifications for both teams will come very close to that.