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One New York Ranger Is Now Among Elite Company After a Historic Playoff Performance

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 16, 2024 11:45 PM

I have to take a break from political mayhem for a second.

The New York Rangers pulled off an epic comeback. As former New York Rangers goalie and commentator Steve Valiquette declared, this game six win over the Carolina Hurricanes was a “[New York] Rangers classic.” It also left some Canes fans crying, which was an appropriate end for a franchise that made “Cry” t-shirts after beating the New York Islanders in the first round.

The Canes were fighting for their lives in this game, and they played like it. They held the edge for 47 minutes before the Blueshirts clawed back down 3-1 with less than 13:30 left in the game. Carolina was desperate to get this series to a seventh game where the outcome would be unknown. The momentum swung to their side, but then Chris Kreider took over, scoring three goals in a single playoff period, joining past greats Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky. An empty net goal by Barclay Goodrow put the final nail in the coffin at 5-3, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final. Yet, Kreider wasn’t alone: the top six started to come alive again after becoming playoff ghosts in games four and five. 

The Rangers will play whoever wins the series between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins. It’s also the first time a Presidents’ Trophy winner reached the conference final. The last such team to do it was in 2015 by the New York Rangers. 

The series wasn’t without its worrying moments for the Rangers. After taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the seven-game series, game four saw a late power-play goal by Carolina seal the game. Game five at Madison Square Garden was one Rangers players and fans would like to forget, a soporific and disjointed effort that led to a 4-1 loss. 

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The first two games saw Carolina take some undisciplined penalties, which allowed the deadly New York Rangers power play unit to go to work, but that wasn’t the only special teams unit firing on all cylinders. Rangers players were also sent into the penalty box. However, New York’s penalty kill unit was able to stifle the Canes on some 15 straight power plays. At the same time, the Rangers capitalized on short-handed chances. At one point, the Rangers’ PK unit outscored the Canes' power play. 

Yet, more disciplined play led to fewer penalties and more five-on-five chances for the Canes, allowing them to get into a rhythm and win back-to-back games. But the Rangers have been known for their grit and ability to bounce back, and they did big league last night.  The analytics people will highlight the stat sheet to create a narrative about how the Cans outshot and outworked the Rangers. I agree for a game-and-a-half, but the Blueshirts had better quality chances on offense. Also, Rangers’ goalie Igor Shesterkin was locked in at the right moments to keep these games from going off the rails. Only two games were decided by more than one goal in this series. Game two went into double overtime. Game three also went past regulation.   

To the Rangers fans who were ready to set themselves on fire after game five, which was arguably the worst game the Rangers played since October, you had to have known that the Canes aren’t the Washington Capitals who the Blueshirts handily beat in a four-game sweep. 

It’s a team that was on the Rangers’ heels for most of the season. The Blueshirts didn’t win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Metropolitan Division until the last game of the regular season against the Ottawa Senators. Carolina is a good team, and they added the likes of Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins to add some playoff depth to the roster. They beat us in game four, New York’s first loss in a month. Playoff hockey is hard; I don’t need to remind people. You’re playing the best, including goaltenders, so take one game at a time now. Whoever the Rangers face in the Eastern Conference Finals, and it’ll likely be the Panthers, will be a bruiser. Expect a seven-game series. 

The Rangers move on, while Carolina might blow up their core after another disappointing cup run. 

And yes, some fans have threaded Donald Trump into the mix:


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