I will have a full report on NYSD later, but looking at the Knicks schedule, expect the Rangers to start on Thursday, Apr. 10 if the team has home ice, simply because the Knicks have home games on the 9th and 11th.

If they sit in the five hole and play the Devils at the Rock to Start round 1, the Rangers can start on Apr. 9 and then play on Friday for Game 2. Then, it also allows the Rangers to play at MSG on the Sunday, Apr. 13th and then on Tuesday, allowing the Knicks to close out their home schedule with a 40 point Celtic blowout at the Garden on the 14th.  

Now this is all speculation, but they can’t move the Knicks and there may be other events at the Garden preempting the open dates, so this can work if the building is free.

UPDATE: I just looked at the full Garden slate and the building is free on all the days mentioned except Apr. 12 with a NY Titans Lacrosse game at 8 p.m. Now, they can play the playoff game in the afternoon or they can move Game 2 back to 13th [NBC may want that anyway] with the games on the road being on the 15th and 17th.

I also looked at the Prudential Center schedule and the building is pretty much free for the next month, so they can schedule the games when needed.