NEW YORK — Having clinched a playoff spot on Monday night, when the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres lost, the Rangers’ focus for the remainder of the regular season is just get their work in, try and fine-tune their game and stay healthy.
But there is still some jockeying for position going on in the top of the Metropolitan Division in these final weeks, and though the Rangers had at one time looked pretty well locked into third place, the possibility of upward mobility seems to be there.
Tuesday’s 6-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden was the Rangers’ ninth in the last 11 games (9-1-1) and pulled the 44-20-10 Blueshirts within two points of the second-place Devils in the Metro, which sets up a delicious battle between the Hudson River rivals Thursday night in Newark.
