Chris Kreider of the Rangers celebrates his goal late in the third period against the Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
If the Rangers’ season was a two-part television episode, then they entered NHL All-Star break/bye week on a cliffhanger.
The Rangers’ stated goal is to make the playoffs, and they do believe that’s not some pie-in-the-sky vision, but one they can actually achieve. But at the break, they are 11 points out of the second wild-card playoff spot, and currently on a two-game losing streak. And Artemi Panarin, their leading scorer and most dynamic player, sat out the last game and will miss the All-Star Game with an upper-body injury.