It only took one game for the New York Rangers to move themselves from a comfortable playoff position to an uncomfortable one.
Last night's loss to the Buffalo Sabres was bad in a lot of ways for New York. Shutouts are common against Buffalo, but that's because of Ryan Miller. The Rangers didn't go against Miller last night, yet still couldn't find a way to put the puck into the back of the net.
The loss also pushed the Rangers to eighth place, and their five point lead over the Hurricanes shrank to just three games with a Carolina win over Montreal last night.
The loss makes tonight's matchup for the Rangers that much more important. The Islanders are not a playoff team, but they always play the Rangers tough. A loss could be potentially catastrophic for the Rangers, a win could move them up in the standings.
These are the matchups you dream about as a hockey fan. For the Rangers though, they just want to come out on top.