As the NHL readies for its first Thanksgiving weekend showdown — highlighted by the Rangers visiting the Bruins — Mike "Doc" Emrick said he expects Blueshirts fans to participate in their usual Easter-time tradition.
That would include the nail biting and hair pulling of the late season, which has been the norm for Rangers fans in recent years.
"I look at the Rangers, Devils and Flyers as the three that will be going hard for that last playoff spot," said Emrick, who will call the Friday matinee for NBC. "All three got off to slow starts, righted the ship, don't score many goals, don't give up many.
"They are a lot alike in that regard and will probably be going at each others' throats for the rest of the year in the Metropolitan Division. Unless something radically changes, we are going to see five teams from the Atlantic get in."
After Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Panthers, the Rangers (13-12-0, 26 points) went over .500 after a miserable 3-7 start, but their lack of scoring continues to be an issue. The team has 14 goals in its past eight games, and the recent return of star Rick Nash from a concussion has yet to break that trend.
The defensive emphasis ushered in by former coach John Tortorella will have to remain if the Rangers are going to make the playoffs.
"The Rangers had to adjust to a new style, and maybe they aren't blocking as many shots as you see with Vancouver," Emrick said. "But the other side of this is that kind of sticky defense. They are going to have to answer for all this before the season is over because there's going to be a lot of tight games. … The Rangers defensively are not that bad, but they are going to have to be so good with how little they score."
The Rangers will follow up the match in Boston and return home to take on Tortorella's Canucks on Saturday. Tortorella had Vancouver off to a good start, after taking over for now Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, but the team has faltered recently.
"I think Vancouver is playing great, but they just can't win any games," Emrick said. "I think they are playing hard for Tortorella, but they are in the extreme thoroughbred conference, and they don't have the horses to compete like that — I don't think."
Tortorella got the Rangers to the playoffs in four of his five seasons in New York, but with the exception of being the No. 1 seed two seasons ago, the team had to fight to the final week to claim a postseason spot. Last year's regression, accompanied with players complaining about their relationships with Tortorella, led to his ouster.
"I think he will get a good ovation because he was a firebrand on the bench and I think people admire that," said Emrick, who recalled Mike Keenan getting a standing ovation under similar circumstances when he returned to Chicago as coach of the Rangers during the 1993-94 season.
"He was emotional and I think people admire that, too. He was certainly there for the Rangers when they needed someone to emphasize that defense was part of the game."
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