The Buffalo Sabres, who were tied with the Rangers at the bottom of the East Division standings entering play Friday, also were at the top of the league in power play success, having scored on 19 of 55 opportunities (34.6%). But they were an outlier.
With the Sabres being the lone exception, 13 of the top 14 teams in the NHL’s power play rankings held a playoff spot in the league’s 2021 all-division-play format, which will send the top four teams in each division to the playoffs.
That would include the Boston Bruins, against whom the Rangers opened a two-game set Friday at Madison Square Garden, the first two games of the season in which the Garden would have fans in it.