NY Rangers on the verge of elimination from playoff contention as Quick leaks 6 goals vs Flyers; What went wrong for Blueshirts today 

The New York Rangers are in serious danger of failing to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs just one season after winning the President's Trophy as the NHL's best regular-season club in 2023-24. They advanced to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final last postseason.

This season has been a different story so far, and their wild 8-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night moved them one step closer to being officially eliminated from postseason contention.

With only four games left in their regular season schedule, the Rangers are stuck at 79 points (tied with the Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets), a full eight points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Conference.

If they lose on Thursday against the in-state rivals New York Islanders, their playoff hopes will officially be dashed.

But what was it that specifically went wrong for the Rangers against the Flyers?

What went wrong for the Rangers today?

It was nothing short of a hectic third period of play for both teams, who entered the period tied at 2-2. The Rangers managed to seize a 3-2 lead thanks to a pair of quick tallies, only to see the Flyers score five of the next six goals, ultimately winning by an 8-5 final score.

The Rangers got off to a rough start, missing a golden opportunity to take the 1-0 lead just 1:15 into the contest after Mika Zibanejad flubbed a penalty shot by completely missing the net.

Goaltender Jonathan Quick, who was recently extended on another one-year contract for next season, was particularly disappointing. He allowed six goals on 28 shots, finishing the game with a .786 save percentage. While he isn't Igor Shesterkin, the soon-to-be highest paid goaltender in NHL history, the Rangers needed more from one of the veteran leaders on the club with championship experience in what was a must-win game against a non-playoff opponent.

Then again, he wasn't exactly helped out by his defensemen. They allowed multiple odd-man rushes while committing a combined eight total turnovers; Braden Schneider had four of them alone.

Adam Fox, the team's defensive leader, finished with a -2 rating.

The Rangers didn't help themselves on special teams either, blowing three separate chances to find the back of the net with the man-advantage.

While still mathematically alive, the Rangers are hanging on by a thread, and it could snap as soon as Thursday night.