NEW YORK (AP) — Captain Chris Drury scored his first goal of the season in a surprise return to the lineup and Ryan McDonagh netted the first of his NHL career during a three-goal second period as the New York Rangers rallied for a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils and then earned a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Rangers earned the win in their regular-season finale in front of an excited and nervous crowd at Madison Square Garden. New York then had to wait several hours to see if it would claim the No. 8 seed. The Rangers did when Carolina lost at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Saturday night.
Once their own game was in hand, the Rangers heard their fans chanting “Let’s Go Lightning.” The message worked.
New York edged out Carolina by two points and will face the top-seeded Washington Capitals in the first round of the postseason. The Hurricanes would have gotten into the playoffs based on a tiebreaker had they beaten the Lightning.
