The OTL Strikes Again; Magic Number at 15

With Carolina beating Florida in overtime last night, both teams got at least a point, and the lackluster effort/ineffective powerplay from Saturday night looms large. One more goal, and that point Florida earned is offset. However, with that one point, they are within 3 of the Blueshirts, and tied for 8th (Montreal has more wins, so thay hold that tiebreaker). And with Carolina’s win, they jump to 5th place in the East. Here are the current standings:

5-Carolina (87 pts, 40 wins, 75 games)
6-Pittsburgh (86, 39, 74)
7-Rangers (84, 38, 73)
8-Montreal (81, 36, 72)
9-Florida (81, 35, 73)

Just for fun, the maximum possible points for each team are:

Carolina – 101
Pittsburgh – 102
Rangers – 102
Montreal – 101
Florida – 99

It’s tough to work out a magic number in hockey, with so many points in the standings changing hands, but by my calculations, the Rangers current magic number is 15. Any combination of the Rangers gaining or Florida losing 15 points means the Rangers clinch a spot. How does this work? Well, for example, if the Rangers were to play Florida tonight and win, that would be two points for the Rangers and two points lost for the Panthers, thus, the magic number would be at 11.

The Rangers control their own destiny, tonight against Minnesota, as with all of the remaining games, is a must win.