"You battle so hard through the regular season to try to get the home-ice advantage in case there is a Game 7, " Brouwer said.

WSJ: Rangers look to stay alive against Capitals

"When they come close to the Sun, this ice melts - solar wind blows this material out into space, so you get a tail of matter coming off the comet, " explains O'Brien.

BBC: Star of Bethlehem: The astronomical explanations