So the Rangers haven't won in like two or three years. Maybe not that long, but it's been a while.
Some say that the Rangers don't have a horrible foundation, though, and that all might not be lost for the franchise.
OK. Maybe not some, but definitely me:

The Rangers may be pretty brutal to watch now but a chassis of youth and grit is emerging. If management—and this is a huge if; somewhere along the lines of if cats could rollerskate—loads up on some experienced, lunchbucket players who love to hit, then the Rangers will be a playoff team sooner rather than later.

So whenever hockey starts up again, the Rangers might not be a bad team to keep an eye on.

Philadelphia got their groove back, beating Montreal 2-0 last night.
What's up with the Habs?
They haven't won a game since Mar. 20, which to be fair, was over the pretty good Devils. Although to be even more fair, the Devils have been having trouble beating teams who are actually heading into the postseason.
Montreal has now dropped five in a row. That's no way to head into the playoffs.
But let's focus. The Flyers are probably pretty glad to have the Atlantic lead back. Home ice baby. It's pretty key.

Oh man. I feel about a million years old. I just saw a TV ad for a Guns N' Roses greatest hits collection. Don't they usually only sell old people music on TV? Like Norah Jones?
What does this have to do with hockey?
Nothing.
And it sort of reminds me of Patrick Roy's declaration that he's not coming back to hockey.
Did anyone think he was coming back? How often is he going to update us that he's not coming back? Annually? Monthly?
I respect Roy and all of his achievements but he should really just let fans focus on the playoffs. It's just distracting.
Having said all that, maybe the Avs can use Roy. They only have one win in regulation in their last eight, including an overtime loss to Minnesota last night.

Detroit's Steve Thomas is Detroit's entry for the Masterton Trophy.
He kind of had a rough season in Detroit with lots of injuries and a cold stick. He should still be pretty handy in the playoffs, though. He was a huge factor for the Ducks during their playoff run last season.
Detroit is both shockingly deep and shockingly shallow. On paper, they're so strong. But injuries have taken their toll. And players aren't healing quickly enough. And those that do heal still need to regain their peak form.
So Detroit is deep but their depth is relatively inexperienced.

Jim Kelley weighs in on the rise of Canadian teams.
According to Kelley, there's a reason five of the six Canadian teams are going to the playoffs, with Edmonton, the sixth, a definite maybe (although not after last night's loss to the Blues).
The rise in value of the Canadian dollar.
Obviously there are other factors, too. But the gist of Kelley's place is that Canada is still a viable hockey market.
So much so, that maybe all the teams that went south to the States will one day return to Canada.
As long as they keep a team in New York (perhaps the Queens Coyotes?), I'll be pretty happy to see Canada reclaim some of their teams from the sunbelt.

Could Buffalo be any more serious about making the playoffs?
I just got finished watching them destroy the Blue Jackets 6-0. Despite all the Buffalo scoring, the game wasn't a cakewalk. Buffalo took the body every chance they could for a full 60 minutes. And Columbus didn't go down quietly. The entire game was played along the boards. The Zamboni didn't even need to work over the middle of the ice.
Interesting, half of Buffalo's goals came from their defense. None came from Miroslav Satan.
Buffalo is now within 3 games of the last playoff spot. The Islanders have to be getting pretty nervous.
Maybe not as nervous as Edmonton and St. Louis, who have Nashville breathing down their neck, but pretty nervous anyway.

Wow. Owen Nolan is out for three weeks with a knee injury.
What can you say about one of the meanest players on a pretty mean team going down?
Nolan is definitely an energy guy. He's got the grit and pestyness of a fourth liner but the hands of a first liner. I never understood why Nolan wasn't more of a developed, realized player. I think he just gets too caught up in the hitting and doesn't focus enough on the shooting.
Luckily, the Leafs are deep as hell. They could lose Mats Sundin and they'd probably be fine. Old but fine.
Speaking of Sundin, his line led the Leafs over the Thrashers last night.

The Flyers never do things the easy way. Whereas most teams chooses to heat up as they transition into the playoffs, the Flyers are out of gas.
They're taking two days off after a couple of rough games, including a loss to the Rangers, which is a sign of the apocolypse.
Even goalie Robert Esche is starting to look a bit tired. Don't be shocked if Sean Burke winds up winning back a starting spot in the playoffs. Esche might not be ready for the grind of a full season. He just might already be too spent.