NEW YORK — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.
When the 2024-25 season began, only the hopelessly optimistic believed the Pittsburgh Penguins could contend for anything more than a lower-level slot in the Eastern Conference playoff field.
The outlook, however, was very different in Manhattan, where it was generally accepted that the New York Rangers would easily qualify for postseason play, and that pondering the finer points of a championship parade down the Canyon of Heroes didn’t seem unreasonable.
The Rangers, after all, had won the NHL’s regular-season title in 2023-24 and possessed a lineup studded with the elite likes of Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin, among others.
But while New York is five points — make that, only five points — ahead of the Penguins (23-27-9) in the Eastern Conference playoff race after their 5-3 victory at PPG Paints Arena Sunday, the Rangers don’t look much like a team worthy of playing beyond the regular season.
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