NHL ROUNDUP : From Top to Bottom, It’s the Rangers’ Story

The New York Rangers, who last season carried the NHL’s best record into the playoffs and won the Stanley Cup, will carry the worst record among those qualifying in the Eastern Conference.

The Florida Panthers made certain of that Tuesday night at New York, where Jody Hull scored two goals in the first five minutes of the third period of a 4-3 victory over the listless Rangers, who still don’t know whom they will play in the first round.

They only know it will be the top-seeded team, either Quebec or Pittsburgh, and it will be on the road, but they knew that before Tuesday night and it showed.

“It was just a natural letdown after the big Philadelphia game,” Ranger goaltender Glenn Healy said, referring to the playoff-clinching 2-0 victory on Sunday.

“Our goal was to make the playoffs. And we did. We couldn’t clinch home-ice advantage, and it didn’t matter who we played in the first round.”

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Washington 7, Pittsburgh 2--Olaf Kolzig stopped 36 shots in place of rookie Jim Carey and Peter Bondra had two goals at Landover, Md., as the Capitals won to stall Pittsburgh’s bid to hold the best record in the East going into the playoffs.

Bondra scored twice in the third period to increase his league-leading total to 34, two ahead of Pittsburgh’s Jaromir Jagr, who also had two goals. No Capital has ever won the goal-scoring title.

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Philadelphia 2, New York Islanders 0--Dominic Roussel stopped 21 shots for his first shutout of the season and Eric Desjardines had a goal and an assist for the Flyers at Uniondale, N.Y.