ANAHEIM, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Cam Fowler #4 of the Anaheim Ducks battles Mika Zibanejad #93 of the New York Rangers for position during the third period of a game at Honda Center on November 1, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

The New York Rangers take on the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.  They’ve won only two games in their last ten and are dangerously close to falling out of the playoff picture.

The only saving grace for the New York Rangers is that they have taken the opposition to overtime or shootout three times before losing so they have been able to collect seven out of a possible 20 points.  That fact alone has kept them in playoff contention.  They have slipped six points out of the final wild card spot and three points out of third place in the Metropolitan Division. With Washington, Pittsburgh, Columbus and the Islanders all playing well, the Blueshirts are in big trouble.
The Ducks are in second place in the Pacific Division with 43 points.  They are riding a four game winning streak and have lost only three out of their last ten games.  They are seventh overall in the NHL and they are doing it despite a goal differential of negative eight. They’ve gone to overtime a Conference leading 12 times and have won seven of those games, one reason that they are doing so well.
The Ducks are not an offensive powerhouse. They are in 29th place with an average of 2.57 goals per game.  Their defense is fifth best in the league, allowing 2.5 goals per game. This will be a tough game to win when the Rangers really need  a decisive win  to break the losing string and rebuild their self-esteem.