ISLANDERS at RANGERS – Tonight – 7:00 MSG, FSN; ESPN (1050 AM); WBBR (1130AM)
Jaromir Jagr practically laughed at the idea that the Rangers might suffer a letdown now that they have clinched their first playoff berth since 1997.
“I knew two weeks ago we were going to make the playoffs,” Jagr said. “So what happened [Tuesday] night was not that big a deal to us.”
Jagr would likely be more impressed if the Blueshirts were able to hold off the Flyers for the rest of the regular season, win the Atlantic Division and assure themselves the third-seed in the Eastern Conference.
“We’ve earned the privilege of feeling good about what we’ve done,” coach Tom Renney said after putting the team through a rigorous workout a day after it beat Philadelphia to officially end the playoff drought. “But we have won nothing.”
That figures to be the theme for the Rangers as they prepare for the postseason. They have seven games remaining starting with tonight’s match against the Islanders at the Garden. And after the shootout victory Tuesday, the Rangers hold a three-point lead over the Flyers.
“This was just one step in the direction we want to go in,” Michael Nylander said. “We want to win the division. There are still goals to be made.”
And if the finish to the regular season is anything like what the rest of it has been, Jagr likely will be the key to getting the Rangers to wherever they wind up.
Jagr, who is having one of the finest seasons in team history, understands that what the team has done so far will be virtually inconsequential in a couple of weeks.
“We need to get ready for the playoffs,” Jagr said. “It will be a totally different game when we get there. We need to play better than we have all year.”
That makes Renney’s job easier down the stretch.
“I didn’t sense any difference in the team today,” Renney said. “We know we need our A-plus game in the playoffs and now is the time that you make sure you’re there when the time comes.”