New York Rangers favourites against Minnesota Wild – NHL Preview
Minnesota Wild have already been eliminated from the playoff contention while New York Rangers have officially qualified for the playoffs.
Both teams have seven more games to play in the regular season and the result of those games is not going to change the fate of any of the team as far as playing in the postseason is concerned.
Rangers are going to face Wild on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, at Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Here is a look at both teams.
Wild
They are ranked at 13th spot in the Western Conference with 72 points after 75 games. Wild along with Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets have been eliminated from the playoff contention from the Western Conference.
Out of their last seven games, Wild have lost five and are presently on a two-game losing streak with the defeats coming against Buffalo Sabres (3-1) and Washington Capitals (3-0).
As the scores suggest, Wild have been struggling on offence. Their playoff hopes are over, but the team is still focused on the rest of the games of the regular season or so they claim.
Wild’s coach, Mike Yeo, said after the last defeat:
"There's no doubt that we're not quite there. I think we all know that. But I like a lot of the things that we have. If you want to look at guys we have in the lineup right now, we have a lot of guys that can win, not only to get to the playoffs, but the
type of guys you want in your lineup when you do play in the playoffs."
Rangers
They are leading the Eastern Conference with 101 points after 75 games.
Out of the last four games, Rangers have won three with the recent victory coming against Toronto Maple Leafs.
Rangers faced a tough competition from Leafs, but eventually managed to win the game in shootout. The final score settled at 4-3.
Rangers’ coach, John Tortorella, said after the victory:
"I just like the way we found a way to win. I don't think we're doing everything great. There's a lot of things to work on, but we found a way to win.”
Predictions
Rangers have an edge.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might stay under six.
In case of Wild’s victory, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
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