The New York Rangers are on the verge of completing an outstanding regular season. They have one game remaining before the start of the playoffs and they have a chance to win the President's Trophy.

If the Rangers can beat the Ottawa Senators in the finale of the regular season, they will have home-ice advantage in every potential playoff series. That victory will allow them to clinch the Presidents Trophy.

That should be good news because it would speak of the Rangers talent, consistency and ability to come through in the clutch. However, wining the Presidents Trophy has been a kiss of death for teams as they head into the playoffs. No Presidents Trophy winner has also earned the Stanley Cup since the Chicago Blackhawks did it in 2013.

The Presidents Trophy curse was never more obvious than it was a year ago. The Boston Bruins had the best record in the league by wide miles and set the NHL record for regular-season points and victories. Despite that lofty status, they were beaten in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers, a team that had the No. 8 and final seed in the playoffs.

Rangers have significant talent and depth throughout the lineup

The Rangers have risen to the top this season as they have had a number of heroes driving them to the top.

Artemi Panarin has been a consistent offensive force throughout his career, but this has been his best year. He has a career-high 117 points, and that includes 48 goals and 70 assists for a remarkable 118 points. Panarin is much like Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov because he can always find the soft spots in the offensive zone. He also has a vicious shot and can hit the top corner when that kind of accuracy is needed.

Vincent Trocheck is second on the team in scoring with 25 goals and 51 assists. He has the vision to find his teammates with pinpoint passes. Chris Kreider has 39 goals and 33 assists. He is one of the best power play weapons in the league as he excels at deflecting shots and turning them into goals and he also has the quickness to pick up rebounds.

Defenseman Adam Fox is a sensational playmaker with a wonderful shot and great vision. Veteran Jacob Trouba plays with a hard physical edge, and while opponents may curse at him, his teammates love him. Trouba brings the kind of toughness the Rangers have not always been able to depend on.

Goaltending has also been solid — but not spectacular — with Igor Shesterkin (2.65 goals against average and .910 save percentage) and Jonathan Quick (2.62 GAA and .911 save percentage). Head coach Peter Laviolette may not criticize his goaltenders, but he would like to see a bit of improvement during the postseason.

Key challenges for Rangers in first two rounds

There's no such thing as an easy first-round matchup. Laviolette will make sure to remind his players what happened to the Bruins last year and he will have their first-round opponent scouted thoroughly.

The Rangers will play the No. 2 Wild Card team in the Eastern Conference, and that could be Penguins, Capitals, Flyers or Red Wings. The toughest of those opponents could be the Penguins.

Pittsburgh played indifferent hockey throughout the majority of the season and it looked like their playoff chances were slim a bit more than a month ago. However, the Penguins are 7-0-3 in their last 10 games and that has allowed them to move into the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Sidney Crosby is once against playing dynamic hockey and Evgeni Malkin has stepped up as has Bryan Rust. The Penguins could prove to be a major challenge and something of a nightmare for the Rangers.

Even if the Penguins play their best hockey, the Rangers should find a way to survive and advance.

If the Rangers get through that first round, their likely opponent in the second round would be the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina is second in the Metropolitan Division and they could have risen to the top but they struggled due to a poor start.

However, the Hurricaness are a tough and battle-tested team featuring Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Marty Necas and Teuvo Teravainen along with defensemen Brady Skjei and Brent Burns. They are nearly New York's equal and the Rangers would have to paly their best hockey  in order to beat them.

The Hurricanes could be a nightmarish opponent.

Bruins, Lightning, Panthers or Maple Leafs could await in Eastern Conference Final

If the Rangers get to the Eastern Conference Final, it seems clear that they will face a formidable opponent that could keep them from getting to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Bruins would like redemption after last year's failure and they have the talent and depth to get there with David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and the superb goaltending of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.

The Lightning have offensive talent galore and are led by Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman. Florida is a never-say-die team led by Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk. The Maple Leafs are one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league and it may be impossible to contain Auston Matthews.

All of these opponents are dangerous, but taking on the Maple Leafs would likely be the easiest road to the Stanley Cup Final while a date with the Panthers may be the most dangerous opponent for the Rangers.