PHILADELPHIA (AP) Dave Hakstol is more worried about two points than a pretty performance right now. That said, the Philadelphia Flyers coach and his team have some work to do before the playoffs begin.

Travis Konecny scored twice, Claude Giroux had three assists and Philadelphia beat the New York Rangers 4-3 on Thursday night to pick up an important two points and stay atop the wild-card standings in the Eastern Conference.

Jakub Voracek had a goal and an assist and Oskar Lindblom also scored for the Flyers (38-25-12, 88 points), who won for just the fourth time in 12 games to remain within one point of streaking Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets beat Florida 4-0 on Thursday for their 10th straight victory.

Philadelphia is six points in front of New Jersey, which was idle Thursday and owns the second wild-card spot. Florida is seven points back of the Flyers but has three more games remaining than Philadelphia, which has seven contests left.

''We were just sporadic,'' Hakstol said. ''There are things we have to clean up and do a little bit better, but the bottom line is the two points at the end of the night.''

Jesper Fast had two goals and an assist and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the Rangers, who are playing out the string after being active sellers at the trading deadline.

''I thought there was a lot of fight and compete in our team tonight,'' Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.

NEW YORK (AP) With each passing game, it appears the New York Rangers may have found an apprentice goalie for next season.

Jimmy Vesey had two goals and an assist to support Alexandar Georgiev's season-high 43-save performance and the Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres5-1 Saturday night.

Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Neal Pionk each added a goal and an assist as the Rangers completed a sweep of the three-game season series and improved to 13-3-0 in the last 16 meetings with the Sabres.

''The main thing is that we won the game,'' said the 22-year-old Georgiev, who has been impressive since his recall from AHL Hartford last month after backup Ondrej Pavelec was injured. ''We scored great goals in the first period, played really good defense. The guys were really battling to not let them have many good opportunities to score.''

Sam Reinhart spoiled Georgiev's shutout bid with 4 1/2 minutes remaining for the Sabres, who have lost four straight. Robin Lehner gave up four goals on 12 shots before being replaced near the midpoint of the second period. Linus Ullmark came on and stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced.

Kreider and Vesey each scored in the first before Pionk got his first NHL goal early in the second.

''It's hard to believe it at first. It's just such a great feeling when those guys come get you and they all give you a huge hug,'' Pionk said. ''Something I will never forget.''

Zibanejad made it 4-0 with his team-leading 27th at 8:45 of the second, giving the Rangers goals on four consecutive shots for the first time since Jan. 3, 2015, also against the Sabres, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Georgiev, starting for fifth time in six games, made 21 saves in the first period, nine in the second and 13 more in the third. He has four wins overall and could emerge as Henrik Lundqvist's backup next season.

''I'm just trying to play my game and help the guys in every way I can,'' he said.

The Sabres outshot the Rangers 21-10 in the first period but it was Kreider opening the scoring with 3:31 left with his 15th of the season with assists to linemates Zibanejad and Jesper Fast. The line has totaled 25 points in last five games.

Zibanejad has 12 points in his last seven games including eight goals. Kreider has a five-game points streak with three goals and seven assists. Fast has an eight-game point streak with three goals and seven assists over the span.

Vesey made it 2-0 with just under two minutes remaining. Mats Zuccarellohad an assist for his team-leading 50th point.

Pionk scored his milestone goal at 3:59 of the middle period, extending his points streak to seven games. He has a goal and nine assists during the stretch. The 22-year-old defenseman was recalled from Hartford of the AHL last month and has 14 points overall.

Vesey's 17th made it 5-0 with 5:13 left in the second.

''We lost coverages, guys were beating us up the ice, and I think it goes back to have that respect in our own zone and for our goaltender,'' Sabres coach Phil Housley said ''We have to keep the puck out of our net.''

The Rangers are 6-4-3 since dealing Rick Nash to Boston, and captain Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay as part of a promised purge of top players at the trade deadline. Though they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010, they have played with renewed energy since the deals were made.

After weeks of speculation on whether or not Jeff Gorton would opt to promote his franchise’s top two prospects to New York to finish the 17-18 season, the Rangers have made their decision:

New York Rangers?@NYRangers

OFFICIAL: #NYR have recalled forwards Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil from @WolfPackAHL.

Andersson, 19, was selected seventh overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Chytil, 18, was selected 21st overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft.

Together we welcome @liasandersson and @filip_chytil.

Although Chytil and Andersson have arguably both been deserving of a promotion due to their stellar play in the AHL, waiting until today to recall the duo ensures that neither player will burn the first year of their respective entry level contracts. Assuming they skate each of New York’s final seven contests, Chytil (9) and Andersson (7) will both have less than ten NHL games on their resume, and the first year of their ELC’s won’t begin until next season.

In what has become a nightmarish season for all of Rangerstown, seeing Chytil and Andersson perform well over the next two weeks could give a sense of hope heading into the offseason. A strong performance over the final seven games could give one or both players an upper hand in the battle for spots on next season’s opening night roster.

NEW YORK (AP) Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals used a fast start to end a perfect road trip.

Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 45th goal and the Capitals extended their winning streak to four games with a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Monday night.

T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Washington, which went 3-0 at Detroit, Montreal and Madison Square Garden.

Nicklas Backstrom, who had four assists in a win over Montreal on Saturday, added two more to give him 44 this season. Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves.

''Tonight we got really loose in the second two periods there, they really took it to us,'' Oshie said. ''Without Grub, we might be in overtime right now.''

Washington increased its lead to five points over two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

''We've still got to keep going and keep getting points every night,'' Oshie said.

Lias Andersson scored in his NHL debut and Mats Zuccarello added a goal for the Rangers.

Andersson, at 19 years, 164 days, became the youngest player in team history to score in his NHL debut. He broke the mark set by Mike Allison (19 years, 195 days) on Oct. 9, 1980, at Boston.

''It feels good, obviously,'' Andersson said. ''It's always fun to score and especially in your first NHL game, so it was fun.''

The Capitals scored four goals in the first period and cruised from there.

''I think we jumped in right away,'' Ovechkin said. ''I think we had pretty good chances in the first couple of shifts. Osh scored, Nisky's goal is pretty sick. How he scored, it was pretty impressive.''

Oshie gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead 2:50 into the game with his 18th of the season. Backstrom skated the puck into the zone and had three Rangers near him when he passed to an open Oshie at the right faceoff circle and he beat Alexandar Georgiev with a wrister.

Niskanen made it 2-0 just 2:23 later. Kuznetsov skated with the puck at the blue line and sent a backhand pass to Niskanen, who had plenty of time to score his seventh of the season at 5:13

Ovechkin scored on a one-timer on the power play from his favorite spot in the left faceoff circle at 8:54. Georgiev was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots.

Ondrej Pavelec replaced him and made 26 saves. It was Pavelec's first appearance since Feb. 9 against Calgary.

Kuznetsov finished off the dominant first period with a short-handed goal at 16:39.

''We talked about this road trip,'' Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. ''We've had really terrible starts. We put a lot of emphasis on the first period, obviously. We were able to get their goaltender out and obviously built a lead.''

Andersson and Filip Chytil gave the Rangers a glimpse of the franchise's future. Andersson and Chytil, both 2017 first-round draft picks and centers, were promoted from the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford on Sunday.

Chytil centered a line with Kevin Hayes and Zuccarello. Andersson centered a line with Jimmy Vesey and Ryan Spooner and got the Rangers on the board. Andersson cut it to 4-1 late in the second period when Vesey worked the puck behind the net and sent a pass to Andersson, who wristed it past Grubauer at 13:16.

''It was a great feeling to see him score his first goal,'' Chytil said of Andersson. ''It was something special. We will talk about it tonight. It's great that he scored his first goal in his first game.''

Chytil assisted on Zuccarello's 16th goal at 4:26 of the third for his first NHL point.

''Both kids had a good game,'' Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. ''It was an emotional day and an emotional game for them, but I thought they played well.''

WASHINGTON (AP) In a game that didn't feel much like the postseason, the Washington Capitals gave future playoff opponents fair warning about how they handle tight games.

Outshot by a team eliminated from contention, Washington stayed close before tying it late and beating the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime on Wednesday night. Braden Holtby stopped 35 of 37 shots, Lars Eller forced overtime and Evgeny Kuznetsov won it to push the Metropolitan Division-leading Capitals closer to their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

Even if it wasn't the kind of showing the Capitals would like to have come playoff time, Eller's goal with 1:50 left and Kuznetsov's 38 seconds into overtime showed what they could do when it matters.

''I think we play better when it's close,'' Holtby said. ''With our skill, I think it forces us to turn things on late in the game and I think guys take that as a challenge. That's I think a reason why you can see us bring it to a next level to try and force the other team into feeling a bit of panic and open up space.''

There was little panic in the Rangers, who were playing their first game with no playoff implications since 2004, and they turned that looseness into a 37-33 shot advantage. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves and Kevin Hayes and Ryan Spooner scored, but New York lamented a defensive miscue on Eller's goal that let the game slip away.

NEW YORK (AP) Coming off an emotional loss that knocked them out of first place, the Tampa Bay Lightning took a little while to get going against the New York Rangers.

They eventually found their stride.

Brayden Point and Cedric Paquette each scored two goals, and Tampa Bay stopped a three-game slide with a 7-3 victory Friday night.

J.T. Miller contributed a power-play goal in the third period as the Lightning regained first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference with 108 points. Dan Girardi also scored against his former team, Alex Killorn had a goal and an assist, and backup goalie Louis Domingue made 28 saves.

''We got better as the game went along,'' star forward Steven Stamkos said. ''We wanted to get the two points and we got it and we'll continue to move on.''

The Lightning fell from the top spot for the first time since mid-October when they lost to the Bruins on Thursday night. They scored a total of four goals during their losing streak.

''It was a tough first for us, just to get our legs back, but I like the way we responded in the second and third and the guys did what they had to do,'' coach Jon Cooper said.

Leading 2-1 entering the third period, Miller, Paquette and Point scored in the first 2:38 to blow the game open.

Miller jammed in a rebound of Victor Hedman's shot from the point 35 seconds into the period. Hedman finished with two assists.

''It felt nice,'' Miller said of scoring against his former team. ''It was hard with a lot of emotions and thoughts coming into this game. You just want to go out and play your game and luckily, got one to come on my stick in front of the net.''

Paquette added his second of the game when he took a pass from Cory Conacher and sent his shot off the post and into the net. Point finished the run 45 seconds later when he scored his 29th of the season on a 3-on-1 break.

Point added his second of the game on an empty-netter, and Girardi scored a power-play goal in the final minute.

New York rookie Filip Chytil got his first NHL goal. Chris Kreider and Brady Skjei also scored for the Rangers, and Ondrej Pavelec made 43 saves.

Tampa Bay's only visit to Madison Square Garden this season came in the Rangers' home finale.

Before the game, the Rangers played a video tribute honoring Ryan McDonagh, Girardi and Miller. McDonagh, a former captain, spent parts of eight seasons with the Rangers before being traded at the February deadline with Miller. Girardi played nearly 800 games with the Rangers over parts of 11 years.

''A month ago, I didn't expect to have to play this game,'' Miller said. ''You try to keep it together during the game as much as possible.

''A lot of good friends there on the other side so you try to keep it serious and professional during the game. It was a cool experience what they did for me here.''

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The New York Rangers have known for a while they won't make the playoffs. They made it official that the Carolina Hurricaneswon't, either.

Ryan Sproul scored and Kevin Hayes added a short-handed goal, and the Rangers beat the Hurricanes 2-1 on Saturday night to eliminate them from the playoff race.

Henrik Lundqvist made 40 saves for New York, which entered having lost three straight and six of seven - going 1-4-2 in that stretch - and was formally knocked out of the postseason chase earlier in the week.

''Especially when you're officially eliminated, you want to end on a good note,'' alternate captain Mika Zibanejad said. ''You want to be able to get something out of it, and it's just easy to lay down and just not care, but that's not how we are as individuals in here.''

Jeff Skinner scored and Cam Ward made 18 saves for the Hurricanes, who will miss the playoffs for the ninth straight year - the longest active postseason drought in the NHL. For the third consecutive season, their official elimination came in their 79th game.

''I think we've known for a while, obviously, so officially, unofficially, we've still got to be ready to work and be a pro and show up and win games and play well for our fans,'' co-captain Jordan Staal said.

Lundqvist's third victory against Carolina this season helped the Rangers finish off a sweep in the series. New York won the first three games by a combined 17-5, but this was Ward's first start of the season against them. Carolina's previous three losses came with Scott Darling in net.

Skinner's goal with 11:53 remaining made it a one-goal game, but the Rangers locked down after that, ending the game by killing a slashing penalty to Hayes over the final 74 seconds.

''You've just got to stick to your system,'' defenseman Brady Skjei said. ''We felt confident that we could kill it off, and when it comes down to 6-on-4, you've got to keep it compact and just try to keep pucks to the outside. That was kind of our mindset, and a few good sticks by our guys and that clear at the end by (Mats Zuccarello) was huge.''

Sproul scored first with 16:59 left in the second period. After Paul Carey dug the puck out of the corner, he found Sproul skating unimpeded between the circles and he ripped it past Ward for his first goal.

Then, with Zibanejad in the penalty box for tripping, Jesper Fast led a rush and threaded a pass to Hayes for a short-handed goal with 6:37 left in the second. That put the Rangers - who entered 21-0-1 when leading after two periods - up 2-0 after 40 minutes.

''The shorty's the game-winner, right?'' Carolina coach Bill Peters asked rhetorically. ''That's the difference in the hockey game.''

NOTES: Sproul's goal left D Rob O'Gara as the only Rangers skater in the lineup without at least one goal on the season. .

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) The New Jersey Devils have moved to the brink of their first playoff berth since 2012 by forgetting the big picture and concentrating on the little things.

There is nothing more important than the here and now, and the Devils conveyed that message to the rival New York Rangers on Tuesday night in moving within two points of the postseason.

Taylor Hall and rookie Will Butcher scored two goals apiece, and the Devils scored three times in the opening 10:40 to power their way to a 5-2 victory, their third straight and sixth in seven.

''It just shows our readiness to start the game,'' goaltender Keith Kinkaid said after making 22 saves. ''We talked about getting off to a good start and we were ready at the drop of the puck and excited that we're in control of our own destiny.''

Coupled with the Flyers' loss to the New York Islanders, the Devils (95 points) moved into the top wild-card spot ahead of Philadelphia (94) in the Eastern Conference.

New Jersey can clinch a playoff spot either with a win or two overtime losses in its final two games, any combination by Florida in its last three games that cost it two points, or if the Flyers lose their final two games.

The Devils are also one point behind Pittsburgh and Columbus in the Metropolitan Division. They also have two games left and play each other Thursday.

''We're all trying to perform and get better and trying to improve and tighten things up,'' Devils veteran center Brian Boyle said. ''We're being challenged to improve. We haven't played necessarily good in certain areas but we understand the big picture and how we have to tighten that stuff up. We're a motivated group.''

Travis Zajac ignited a three-goal first period with a tap-in tally 25 seconds after the opening faceoff, and New Jersey's power play took over after that.

Butcher, who had never scored more than once in a game, got both with the Devils using an extra skater, while Hall scored his first on a power play and got his 39th of the season on a second-period penalty shot that easily beat Henrik Lundqvist.

''Maybe he thought I was going to go five after scoring a few lately there, but I saw it and just tried to get it off my stick as quickly as I could,'' Hall said.

Ryan Spooner and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, who will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Lundqvist made 39 saves.

Forward Chris Kreider said the Rangers didn't get out of their own zone well, they didn't generate much offense and took too many penalties.

''It makes for a pretty easy night for the opposition and a pretty hard night for us,'' he said.

This rivalry game was over early.

Zajac started the roll by carrying the puck from his own end into the Rangers' zone and dropping a pass to Blake Coleman. The forward flubbed his shot, but the puck deflected off the Kreider's stick to Zajac who tucked it into an open net.

Hall got his 38th after the Rangers failed to clear a puck in front of stick-less Lundqvist.

Butcher scored from the right point 70 seconds after Rangers defenseman John Gilmour was penalized for shooting the puck into the crowd.

Spooner deflected Jimmy Vesey's pass into the top of the net with 2:13 left in the period, and he hit the post before the period ended.

Butcher extended the lead to 4-1 just under seven minutes into the second period with a shot from the left point, and Hall beat Lundqvist over his glove after Brady Skjei prevented his shot on a breakaway. It marked the second time this season Hall has had four points in a game, one less than his career high.

Hayes scored on a giveaway in the third period.

NOTES: The Rangers played without forwards Mats Zuccarello (lower body) and Jesper Fast (groin). The two important penalty killer were hurt in the win in Carolina on Saturday. Coach Alain Vigneault said Fast would probably not play again this season ... Zuccarello is day to day for the last two games. ...

NEW YORK (AP) John Tavares heard the New York Islanders fans chanting his name in the closing minutes of the team's final home game of the season.

The captain, set to be a free agent this summer, was thankful for the support and reiterated he hopes to be back next season.

''It was really nice from the fans,'' Tavares said after the Islanders continued their recent mastery of the Rangers with a 2-1 victory over their crosstown rivals Thursday night.

''I've always been treated since Day 1 very well,'' he said. ''They've always stuck by me and been really proud to have me here and made it a lot easier for me to just kind of grow into the player and person that I am. I'm just appreciative of that. I'm not trying to look at it as it's the end because obviously that hasn't been determined. I've always wanted it to work out and stay, so that's still what I hope transpires.''

Thomas Hickey and Anthony Beauvillier scored 2:32 apart in the second period and Jaroslav Halak stopped 34 shots as the Islanders beat the Rangers for the 11th time in the past 12 meetings.

They swept the four-game season series for the second time in the past three seasons, after never previously doing it since joining the NHL in 1972. The Islanders are also 6-0-0 at home against the Rangers since moving to Barclays Center in 2015.

''We just want to beat them no matter what the game is,'' Halak said. ''Obviously tonight, for both teams we are out of the playoffs and it doesn't really mean anything but we still have to finish the season strong. ... It's always a good feeling after these games when we beat them.''

Halak improved to 18-7-0 in his career against the Rangers, including 10-2-0 since joining the Islanders before the 2014-15 season. This season, he went 4-0-0 with a shutout and a 1.47 goals-against average against them.

''The numbers are eye-opening,'' Islanders coach Doug Weight said. ''It's not just a good roll, he gets up for those games. He competes and finds a way to beat them.''

Kevin Hayes scored and Ondrej Pavelec finished with 20 saves for the Rangers, who lost for the eighth time in 10 games (2-6-2).

''We got quite a few pucks at the net but against a goaltender that's got our number the way their guy has right now, you need to get on the inside,'' Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. ''You need to get more traffic and you need to create second opportunities and we didn't do that well enough.''

This is the first time since 2010 - and just the second since 2001 - that neither team will be in the postseason.

The Rangers will miss out for the first time since that 2009-10 season, and second since the lockout wiped out the 2004-05 campaign.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Claude Giroux capped the best season of his career in spectacular fashion.

Giroux earned his first career hat trick in the regular season and the Philadelphia Flyers clinched a playoff berth in their final regular-season game with a 5-0 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Giroux finished with 34 goals and 102 points. He extended his career highs in points and goals while becoming the sixth player in franchise history to reach 100 points in a season.

''He was dialed in,'' coach Dave Hakstol said.

Giroux said a key to his performance in such a crucial game was keeping his emotions in check.

''When you wake up, you try to be not jacked up,'' he said. ''You learn while you go through seasons. You don't want to try to do too much.''

Michael Raffl and Ivan Provorov also scored for the Flyers, who needed at least one point to make the playoffs and eliminate the Florida Panthers from postseason contention.

''We had a lot of good performances tonight and that's what it takes,'' Hakstol said.

The Flyers (42-26-14) are returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and will be vying for their third Stanley Cup. The club won back-to-back titles in 1973-74 and 1974-75.

''We have to turn the page and get excited again,'' Giroux said.

The Flyers' captain scored his first two goals during Philadelphia's dominating second period in which it outscored the Rangers 3-0 thanks in part to an 18-5 shots advantage.

Giroux put the Flyers ahead 2-0 with 7:36 left in the second when his shot from the left circle got through Henrik Lundqvist's legs after a screen by Nolan Patrick.

Raffl made it a three-goal lead when he took the rebound of Radko Gudas' shot from the point with a turnaround shot that got past Lundqvist's right pad with 2:07 left in the period.

And Philadelphia set a club record for the quickest two goals when Giroux fired past Lundqvist's glove side with a wrist shot from the slot just 6 seconds after Raffl's tally to make it 4-0. Raffl set up the play by intercepting a Rangers pass at the blue line and dropping a pass to Giroux.

The fans unleashed a thunderous ''M-V-P!'' `'M-V-P!'' chant for Giroux when he was shown on the video board after his second tally.

And Giroux had the sold-out crowd of 20,028 in a frenzy when he scored his third on a breakaway with 9:49 left in the third period. Hundreds of hats littered the ice, causing a seven-minute delay, and Giroux smiled on the video board and waved to the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation.

''(Giroux) has worked hard,'' Hakstol said. ''He earned that and he's very deserving of that moment.''

The Rangers (34-39-9), who are out of the postseason for the first time since 2009-10, ended their regular season with their ninth loss in the last 11.

Lundqvist said New York needs to hit the reset button this offseason.

''It's about winning games and getting back to the playoffs,'' he said. ''We need to set that goal right away. If you're here, you're here to make a difference. I think we can turn this around real quick.''

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• Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers hired Boston University's David Quinn as their new head coach Wednesday, the second college coach hired by an NHL team this month and third in the past four years.

Quinn replaces Alain Vigneault, who was fired hours after the Rangers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010. An introductory news conference was scheduled for Thursday.

With their first selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, the New York Rangers have selected Vitali Kravtsov with the ninth overall pick.

Our very own Alex and Tobias did an excellent job of outlining Kravtsov’s skill set and have characterized him as a difficult player to handle in transition. To view the full draft profile on Kravtsov, click here.

Russian winger Kravtsov uses size, soft hands and strong wheels to contribute offense in a variety of ways. He’s a difficult guy to handle in transition, capable of aggressively dangling opposing defensemen one-on-one or setting-up team-mates at speed. Although perhaps not the most dynamic on his skates, Kravtsov gets around the ice well and certainly has no trouble finding openings to exploit. He knows how to score and buries chances with a quick-release wrister.

Vitali Kravtsov is the prototypical Russian off-side power winger. He’s a strong skater who can both challenge D-men on the outside and slow the game down if needed. He’s got an excellent shot and his puck handling is very good. He’s definitely more of a sniper then a playmaker. Kravtsov is a good defensive player given his age and role, he’s far from the “lazy Russian.” He works hard defensively and he’s not inept at it.