After reaching the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers will compete in the 2023 playoffs.

Monday, the Florida Panthers lost 5-2 to the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres lost 4-3 in a shootout with the Montreal Canadiens. The Rangers are currently third in the Metropolitan Division at 43-20-10 with 96 points.

After Monday night’s games, the Panthers and the Sabres currently sit at the third and fourth wildcard positions, and are out of playoff contention.

During the 2022 playoffs, the Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals when they were ultimately bested by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

To reach the Eastern Conference Finals this year, the Rangers will need to overcome the New Jersey Devils and then either the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Islanders.

Working in favor of the Rangers is the Devils’ lack of playoff experience. The Devils have not competed in the playoffs since 2018 when they lost in the first round. Furthermore, the Hurricanes are without right-wing forward Andrei Svechnikov.

Svechnikov was injured on March 11 during a game with the Vegas Golden Knights. His injury will require a knee surgery and has left him unable to finish the season. Svechnikov had 23 goals and 32 assists in 64 games.