COLOMBUS, Ohio — The victory this season was less monumental than what the Rangers picked up on Saturday night.
With 15 games remaining in the regular season, Bruce Hart has returned to playoff photos after being pushed into the second wildcard spot just before Columbus in a dominant 4-0 4-0 on the Blue Jackets in the National Arena.
It was a long, winding road back here. The Rangers are stepping easily above the postseason cutoffline for the first time earlier this month.
They then failed to take advantage of their chance to win the top wild card spot at the Eastern Conference in Ottawa last Saturday.
And again the next night, against the Blue Jacket, Rangers backup goalkeeper Jonathan dumped seven goals in the final meeting of the two teams.
The rangers finally seized the opportunity in front of them, and it was undoubtedly the most important thing.
But the work is not over.
The Rangers still have several teams on the heels and can overtake them if they don't keep moving forward. If Montreal beats the Panthers on Saturday night, the Canadiens will move one point behind the Rangers and follow a slightly better point percentage for the game.
Columbus still has the game on the Rangers. The Rangers only have two multi-game road trips left in the season.
