The New York Rangers reached the National Hockey League playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons with a 4-2 home win against the New Jersey Devils in a game that started with a brawl and left blood on the ice.
Brandon Dubinsky, Dan Girardi, Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored for New York at Madison Square Garden last night as the Rangers became the first team from the Eastern Conference to book a postseason place.
The victory followed back-to-back defeats for the Rangers (45-20-7, 97 points), who had lost five of their seven prior games. The Rangers have 10 regular-season games remaining, one fewer than the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are three points behind New York in second place in the Atlantic Division.
Full story: Rangers Make Playoffs in Fight-Marked Win Over Devils