This has been a half-measure season for the Rangers, who did not wipe out the roster and have not been either consistently bad enough or gotten enough questionable goaltending to be in a prime pre-lottery location.
There is, however, plenty of time for them to descend to that destination, even in light of Tuesday’s conscientious 3-1 Garden victory over the Ducks that represented the Rangers’ ninth regulation-time win of the year, tied with the Kings for second-fewest in the league behind Detroit’s seven.
The paltry 60-minute win total, more than the camouflaged 15-13-4 record that is bolstered by a league-best five shootout victories, reflects the team’s relative strength.