Final three a real test for Rangers

Final three a real test for Rangers

Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News

Marian Gaborik scores the lone goal for the Rangers Sunday night against the Bruins. The Blueshirts need one point in their final three games to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The NHL schedule makers werent kind to the Rangers to start this season, with two games in Sweden kicking off seven straight road games over 18 days due to ongoing renovations at Madison Square Garden.

But with the Blueshirts still needing to gain one point or have the Penguins lose one over each teams respective remaining three games in order to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs, John Tortorella is not complaining about how the regular-season slate concludes for his first-place team.

After losing in regulation Sunday night to Boston, the Blueshirts will get their next crack at clinching Tuesday in Philadelphia with additional playoff-atmosphere games to follow Thursday in Pittsburgh and Saturday at home against Washington, a potential first-round opponent.

We have a tough week. With Boston (Sunday) night, we play four good teams this week. One at a time we take them, but I think thats the best way we can prepare for the playoffs, Tortorella said after practice Monday in Greenburgh. I think its great. We cant control the schedule. But the way its laid out for usto prepare for playoffs, this is a really good thing for this club.

As it stands now, the Flyers and Penguins, who brawled late in their game Sunday, would square off in the opening round in the No. 4 vs. No.5 series. The Rangers (107 points) have won all five meetings against Philadelphia (101) this season including the Winter Classic with a chance to sweep the season series Tuesday for the first time in 40 years. They went 6-0-0 against the Flyers in 1971-72.

Theyre a good team and I expect them to come really hard. I dont think theyre going to give up a sixth straight, easy, Henrik Lundqvist said.

I cant even remember the last time we played them. We played them so much early (in the season), center Brad Richards said, referring to the last meeting between the teams on Feb. 11. They have like two or three losses in their last 15 games (actually 12-3-2 in their last 17). Theyre playing well, so theyre a different team now and theyre not worried about (the season series), Im sure.

Bigger than sweeping the Flyers, Lundqvist said, is closing out the Atlantic Division which might have four teams reach 100 points if the Devils can secure four more.

That would be a nice accomplishment, he said.

Theres no question that we have a really good division, with a lot of good teams, Tortorella added. Im not going to be an idiot and tell you that we dont think about some of the division games we play, Philly being one of them. And Im sure they feel the same way.