During last night's 3-2 loss to the Panthers, Chris Kreider was given just 3:43 of ice time, including a miniscule two shifts in the second period and ZERO in the third.

Kreider has not cracked ten minutes of ice time since his recall last week.

Good friend of the blog Scotty Hockey said it perfectly about Kreider in his game recap....

"If Torts doesn't trust Kreider to play more than four minutes against the worst team in the league, when is he ever going to trust him?"

...definitely not this season, because as soon as either Dorsett or Boyle are healthy, Kreider is headed to the Whale taxi squad.

...i think I've just given up on the idea that Torts will use Kreider this season, because I wasn't even upset about this after the game. Why would anyone think Torts would magically use Kreider after publicly stating he's worried about him in the big spot and that he didn't even want him recalled in the first place?

Despite the Rangers excruciating loss to the Panthers last night, they actually received some good news in their hunt for a playoff spot as the ninth place Winnipeg Jets lost to the Washington Capitals, meaning the Blueshirts magic number is now two.

If the Rangers can gain just two measly points in their final two games (@Carolina on Thursday, vs. the Devils at MSG on Saturday) the Blueshirts are going back to the playoffs.

The Rangers can also back into the postseason if the Jets lose their lone remaining game at home against the Canadiens on Thursday or if the Senators lose their remaining three games.

If both the Senators (52 points) and Rangers (52 points) lose out and the Jets (51 points) win Thursday night, the Senators will be eliminated as the Rangers own the first tie breaker which is regulation/overtime wins (ROW).

Here are the standings...

...in typical Rangers fashion, they had to prolong their fans' agony by losing to the worst team in the NHL last night. And please God let them take care of business Thursday night in Carolina, because the last thing I want to see are the revenge minded New Jersey Devils standing in the way of a potential Blueshirts playoff berth.

After last night's disgusting loss to the Florida Panthers, John Tortorella was asked what went wrong...

"It's 1-1, we're in full control of the game. I don't think we should take a penalty and we don't get the puck out when we're killing a penalty, twice. End of story."

...the Richards penalty was the height of stupidity and the failure to clear the puck on the unsuing penalty kill was obviously a killer, but Torts must think we're all stupid. You lose to the worst team in the NHL and we're supposed to believe one sequence lost them the game? How about going 0-for-3 on the power play against the worst penalty kill in the league? Or Nash coming up small in his biggest game as a Ranger? Or how about scoring just one non-garbage time goal against a goaltender who had given up 25 in his previous six games? Two of which he was pulled in.

...i also wasn't a huge fan of Torts pulling Hank with the Rangers on the power play in the closing two minutes. Being down just one goal, it doesn't make sense to give the Panthers an opportunity to possibly end the game with an empty net tally?

Here's more from Torts...

The players also talked after the game...

Bergen Record - Rangers lose to Panthers, 3-2; fail to clinch playoff spot

New York Post - Rangers blow chance to make postseason in loss to woeful Panthers

New York Post - Rangers’ power play sputters again

Daily News - Rangers fail to secure playoff spot in Florida

New York Times - Rangers Miss Chance to Clinch but Have Two More

Newsday - Rangers miss chance to clinch in loss to Panthers

Newsday - Rangers' offense has rebounded in April

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A bit of deja vu tonight. Markstrom stood strong and the Panthers held on long enough to get their two necessary goals. Give credit to them for doing what they had to.

Nonetheless, frustrating result for the Rangers. With the Jets losing in regulation, the Rangers had the ability to clinch a playoff spot. And with the Islanders losing in overtime, they had the ability to move up to the six seed. Instead, a loss to the worst team in the Eastern Conference. It's hard to get too mad; they were 7-2-1 in their previous 10 games and significantly outplayed the Panthers tonight. Nonetheless, the struggles early in the season made a loss tonight very difficult to come to peace with. We outhit them, won more faceoffs, had more posession, and more than doubled their shot total. The scoreboard is what matters most, though, and it tilted away from the Rangers tonight. Had the Rangers gotten a couple of bounces in their favor like they did against Buffalo then we're celebrating a Rangers victory and four-game winning streak. Instead, we have this. Let's look at some post-game thoughts:

The New York Rangers (24-17-4) visit the Florida Panthers (13-26-6) at  at BB&T Center starting at 7:30 p.m. For a preview go to Yahoo! Sports.

Rangers Game Notes

TV: MSG Plus; Radio: AM 970 The Apple, XM 215

Live Stream (Don't click on ads in stream, may download virus):
http://www.firstrow1.eu/watch/182769/1/watch-florida-panthers-vs-new-york-rangers.html

Probable Lines:
Hagelin-Stepan-Callahan
Clowe-Brassard-Nash
Pyatt-Richards-Zuccarello
Kreider-Powe-Asham

McDonagh-Girardi
Del Zotto-Stralman
Moore-Eminger

Goaltenders:
Henrik Lundqvist - 22-15-3, 2.08 gaa, .927 sv%, 1 so.

Jacob Markstrom - 6-13-1, 3.26 gaa, .902 sv%, 0 so

Opponent Notes:
- Florida has been outscored 30-8 during its six-game losing streak.

One feature I've been very negligent in extending into this season is TheNYRBlog reader pics.

For those of you new to the blog, in the past I've encouraged readers to send me their Rangers related pics to post on the blog and for whatever reason I've ceased doing it post lockout.

So here's a couple of pics to make-up for lost time.

Reader Jake R. e-mails me this pic of himself and an obviously insane Bruins fans during the season opener in Boston...

Meanwhile, Kevin S. sends me this great group pic before the Rangers 8-4 whitewashing of the Sabres in Buffalo on Friday night...

According to CBS Connecticut, the Connecticut Whale have played their last game under that name and will return to being called the "Hartford Wolfpack" once again next season.

The Rangers' AHL affiliate, which moved to Hartford in 1997, had originally been called the Hartford Wolfpack until the franchise bizarrely changed its name midseason during the 2010-2011. Thus, "Connecticut Whale" was born, an homage of sorts to the Hartford Whalers, formerly of the NHL.

Yesterday, I posted that with the Whale season ending without a playoff berth, the Rangers will, similar to last season, be recalling some prospects as taxi squad players for the final week and into the playoffs.

Brett Cyrgalis at the New York Post says the likely players recalled include J.T. Miller, Brandon Segal, Brandon Mashinter, Benn Ferriero, Dylan McIlrath and Mike Vernace.

The CT Whale players will practice as their own group, not with Rangers.

...i really am a big fan of the Rangers doing this. Great experience for the prospects to be a around a playoff push and hopefully the postseason.

Yesterday at practice in Florida, Andrew Gross at the Bergen Record observed that Brian Boyle (right knee) appeared to still be limping and it looked like he was still wearing a brace under his suit pants.

John Tortorella said there were no updates on Boyle, who remains out indefinitely.

...if Boyle is still limping around I find it hard to believe that he'll be back before the end of the regular season. And that might not be a bad thing, as without Boyle in the line-up this season the Rangers are 6-1-0 while outscoring their opponents 33-14.

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