Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers wrapped up their fourth straight playoff spot with a game to spare.
Lundqvist made 37 saves, and Ryan Callahan had a goal and an assist in New York's 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
“I am excited, but I'm also proud of what we accomplished here,” Lundqvist said. “It's a been a roller coaster, but it's always like that. It's a long season. We've been through a lot. It's a new experience to go through a coaching change.”
The Rangers, set to close the regular season Sunday in Philadelphia, are fighting Montreal for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens, tied with the Rangers with 93 points, will finish Saturday night against Pittsburgh. The seventh seed will open the playoff against Washington, and the eighth seed will face Boston.
“The first thing is to get in the playoffs,” said coach John Tortorella, who replaced the fired Tom Renney on Feb. 23. “Congratulations to the players. They've have fought through it the last couple of months, the ups and downs with a lot of things going on around the team.”
The Rangers' win over the Flyers also helped New Jersey, giving the Devils the Atlantic Division title.
Markus Naslund also scored for the Rangers, 8-1 in their last nine games at Madison Square Garden. Daniel Briere scored for the Flyers, and Martin Biron made 29 saves.
“It's more excitement than relief,” Callahan said. “We've been working hard and it's exciting to get that final push and finally get a spot.”
New York scored 52 seconds in as the Rangers stormed the crease, chasing a loose puck. Naslund, who was credited with the goal, and Callahan took multiple swipes before the puck _ and Biron _ both slid into the net.
Referee Don VanMassenhoven pointed to the goal, signaling a score _ a decision that was confirmed by a video review.
Callahan scored at 12:06, deflecting Derek Morris' blast from the right point.
Early in the third, Lundqvist preserved the Rangers' one-goal lead with a spectacular diving glove stop on Daniel Carcillo.
