Game #49: Colorado Avalanche vs New York Rangers Open Thread

It's a Sunday matinee for the New York Rangers as the chase in the Eastern Conference playoff race resumes for Peter Laviolette's squad. It was not quite an ideal Saturday for the Blueshirts as they sat idle preparing for today's matchup with Colorado.

The Blueshirts woke up tied for ninth and in the East (with the tiebreaker well on hand) and one point back of a playoff spot, but wins by Columbus and Ottawa as well as an overtime loss for Montreal has pushed them to 11th place and three points back entering play on Sunday.

A win today gets New York back to ninth place and one point out of the playoffs, but it'll be tough sledding against this new look Avalanche team. Colorado made headlines on Friday with its role in a blockbuster three-team trade with Carolina and Chicago. Longtime forward Mikko Rantanen was shipped to Carolina, with Colorado acquiring Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and a pair of draft picks in return. The Rangers and Avalanche played a hard-fought, overtime game earlier this month in Denver, but it'll be a very different looking team for the Blueshirts to contend with this afternoon.

Player to Watch: Will Borgen

Since being acquired from Seattle in December, Borgen has been a stabilizing force for the Blueshirts' defensive corps. While initial thoughts were that Borgen would be flipped to a playoff contender ahead of the trade deadline, the Rangers have gotten their season back on track thanks to a 7-0-3 record in their last ten games. Borgen will be on Broadway past the trade deadline and for years beyond that after agreeing to a five-year contract extension on Saturday. Keep an eye on Borgen against the high flying Avalanche offense today.

Enjoy the game!