Just one point away from clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the New York Rangers visit the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m. ET on MSG). A victory would help the Rangers (50-22-7, 107 points) cement their first No. 1 seed since 1993-94 and would cap an impressive, six-game series sweep of their Atlantic Division rival.
On Sunday, the Rangers magic number got smaller despite losing to the defending champions, the Boston Bruins, 2-1. That's because the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins were beaten by the Flyers (46-24-9, 101 points) in a rough-and-tumble, inter-state contest in Philly.
The Rangers now need one point to secure the East crown. New York is also trailing the Vancouver Canucks by one points for the NHL's President Cup Trophy, which is giving to the team with the best overall record.
The Flyers enter Monday's contest a bit short-handed -- a scenario they're used to by now -- as forward Danny Briere will be out with an upper-back contusion and defenseman Nicklas Grossmann will miss the final week of the regular season. It is still uncertain of starting goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov will return after missing the past three contests because of a bone chip in his foot.
For more on the Rangers, be sure to check out our blog Blueshirt Banter.