RALEIGH www.officialavalanche.com , N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes have skated their way out of being tied for last place into playoff contention — all in just six weeks.They have been the NHL’s best team since Dec. 30, going 14-5-1 in that stretch while making an improbable push to snap the league’s longest active postseason drought.The Hurricanes entered Thursday night’s games three points out of a playoff spot with 25 games remaining, a stretch run that starts Friday night when Edmonton visits.“The important thing is, playoff teams get it,” captain Justin Williams said Thursday. “We’re doing what’s necessary right now. We know where we are. All we need to do is keep winning and not worry about what’s going on above us.”As much progress as the Hurricanes have made lately, there’s still so much further to go to reach the postseason for the first time since 2009 and only the second time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006.Not long ago, they seemed destined to set an NHL record for futility by going 10 straight seasons without making the playoffs.And they still might. But at least for now, they’ve made things interesting.They were tied with New Jersey and Philadelphia for last in the division on Dec. 30 with 35 points, and were one point better than Ottawa for last in the Eastern Conference.In a relatively short period of time, though, the Hurricanes have figured things out and have become pretty tough to beat. They’ve earned 29 points in that time span, one more than the New York Islanders and two more than St. Louis.And most recently, they went 4-1 on a five-game road trip. The last time that happened was in 1998, when PNC Arena was still under construction and the Hurricanes were playing their home games in Greensboro.“It was a big road trip Colorado Avalanche T-Shirts Authentic , and we’re doing what we need to do right now,” Williams said, “which is banking wins and seeing what happens.”The offense appears to have found its scoring touch, with an NHL-best 76 goals over that 20-game span. Sebastian Aho has 25 points — nine goals, 16 assists — during the team’s hot streak while linemate Teuvo Teravainen has 22 — nine goals, 13 assists.And Nino Niederreiter has fit right in with his new team, racking up 10 points in 11 games since he was acquired from Minnesota in a trade for Victor Rask.And with the league’s trading deadline Feb. 25, the big question remains whether the Hurricanes will be buyers or sellers.Micheal Ferland, acquired in a blockbuster offseason trade with Calgary, is due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, so naturally, trade rumors have surrounded him. But it might be worth it to Carolina to keep the hard-hitting forward with 15 goals and 16 assists for the stretch run — and perhaps try to sign him to a contract extension.“I’d like to get a deal done, obviously,” Ferland said. “We’ve put ourselves in a good spot Colorado Avalanche Hoodies Authentic , trying to get into the playoffs. I’d like to stay here and help this team.” GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) After missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years, the New York Rangers are going all in on a makeover.Several star players were jettisoned at the trade deadline for youngsters and draft picks, there’s tough decisions to be made with free agents, and they’re seeking a new coach to lead the way.”We all know there’s going to be some changes during the summer,” veteran goalie Henrik Lundqvist said.”Part of me is a little excited about what’s ahead. I hope we take some good steps in the right direction. … Whoever is going to be here, we are going to compete and be sure to have a better year.”After a slow start to the season, the Rangers picked up their play but injuries to key players such as Chris Kreider, Kevin Shattenkirk, Kevin Hayes, Marc Staal and Mika Zibanejad hampered their ability to gain some consistency.Then, the retooling became a certainty in early February when general manager Jeff Gorton announced the team’s moves at the trade deadline would be with an eye to the future and not to save the season.Weeks later, Michael Grabner was dealt to New Jersey, Rick Nash to Boston Colorado Avalanche Hats Authentic , and J.T. Miller and captain Ryan McDonagh to Tampa Bay – with all going to teams that are in the playoffs.The Rangers closed the season losing eight of their final 10 and finished last in the Metropolitan Division – 20 points behind the Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets, for the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.”It’s been a tough season for everyone – fans, players, the whole team organization,” said Mats Zuccarello, whose first year in the NHL was right after the Rangers last missed the playoffs in 2010.”I’ve never been in this situation before. It’s been a tough season mentally, lost a lot of good friends, but at the end of the day right now it’s over.”The lost season and resulting pivot to a youth movement cost coach Alain Vigneault his job when he was fired hours after a season-ending 5-0 loss at Philadelphia last Saturday night. The Rangers went 226-147-37 in five years under Vigneault, with a run to the Stanley Cup Final in his first season in 2013-14.”We understand we didn’t get the job done,” Lundqvist said. ”When that happens, changes are going to happen. We had players leave, now coaches leave. We hoped and we expected more at the start of the season. Things happened along the way. … We were just not able to recover and changes were made and it was a tough stretch after that.”Gorton said he expects to interview five to 10 candidates for the head coach vacancy, and will consider anyone with coaching experience at any level.”We’re looking for somebody with a progressive mind, that’s thinking the game Custom Colorado Avalanche Jerseys , that’s watching the game and seeing what’s going to happen next,” he said. ”Just a good person, a good leader, somebody we can work with and develop young players.”Some other things to know as the Rangers head into the offseason:YOUTH MOVEMENTThe moves at the trade deadline gave the team a chance to look at some younger players.Ryan Spooner, acquired from Boston in the deal for Nash, made the biggest impact with four goals and 12 assists in 20 games – nearly matching his production with the Bruins (nine goals, 16 assists).Teenage first-round picks Lias Andersson (one goal, one assist in seven games) and Filip Chytil (one goal, two assists in nine) were also given chances to play down the stretch and could make the team out of training camp in the fall.FREE-AGENT FRENZY?The Rangers could choose to hasten their rebuild with some moves in free agency, but that option may be hampered due to tough decisions to make with some of their own players.Spooner is among the team’s eight restricted free agents, along with Jimmy Vesey, Kevin Hayes, Brady Skjei, Vladislav Namestnikov www.officialbluejackets.com , Rob O’Gara, John Gilmour and Ryan Sproul. Also, Paul Carey, Cody McLeod, David Desharnais and backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec are unrestricted free agents and will not likely be re-signed.WATCH THE DRAFT BOARDThe Rangers have stockpiled draft picks this year with seven selections in the first three rounds, including three first-rounders. This will make it two straight years with multiple picks in the first round after four straight years without any.Unless they win the draft lottery, The Rangers aren’t going to get Rasmus Dahlin. However, other strong defensemen that could be available include Adam Boqvist, Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson.NEED TO HEAL UPIn addition to the injuries that cost players time during the season, Zuccarello and Lundqvist both said they have been dealing with knee injuries throughout the season.Zuccarello said he just had some work done on his knee and will rest up for three to four weeks. Lundqvist plans to address his issue with doctors in the coming days so he can ”do all the right things to be 100 percent when I start training and preparation for next season.”—Follow Vin Cherwoo at www.twitter.com/VinCherwooAP—