That was a fun Saturday, wasn’t it? The NHL returned with a bang on Saturday with a massive slate of 14 games. The highlights for you New York Islanders fans include the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins getting humiliated in blowout losses.
The Rangers (28-25-4) are 11th in the Eastern Conference, three points up on the 12th-place Islanders (25-24-7), who have a game in hand. The Rangers are also two points out of the second wild card, which is held by the Ottawa Senators, who do not play again until Wednesday.
The Rangers are one of the three teams outside of the playoff picture that the Islanders need to leapfrog – in addition to Columbus (62 points) and Boston (61 points). The Detroit Red Wings (64 points) and Ottawa Senators (62 points) currently occupy the two wild card spots in the east.
The New York Islanders waived Dennis Cholowski on Thursday afternoon. Cholowski, 27, played 33 games this season, recording three goals and 10 points. The move had been widely anticipated in the wake of Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock’s return to practice.