It’s time to believe in these New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are an inexperienced young team with a handful of vets, plenty of kids, and some role players sprinkled around the lineup.
Oh! And a goalie who is elite in every way.
By beating the Carolina Hurricanes in Games 6 and 7, they are one of only four teams still playing this NHL season. If you haven’t started believing in this bunch, what are you waiting for?
“We talk about our kids, the Kid Line (Lafrenière, Chytil, and Kakko) and K’Andre Miller they got great experience 14 games,” Gerard Gallant noted. “When you first asked about the experience against Pittsburgh, was I worried about it? Yes but I wasn’t going to tell you that. Now I feel a lot better. These guys know how to play a playoff game. They’ve been a part of tough, aggressive hockey games and they’re responding real well. It’s nice to see.”
New York Rangers heading to Eastern Conference Final
The New York Rangers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2015 after a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7.
They were led by their biggest stars as Mika Zibanejad posted three assists and now leads the team in playoff scoring with 19 points. That is good for third this postseason behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who both have 26 points.
Chris Kreider recorded two goals and is just one behind Mark Messier as the all-time leader for most goals in an elimination game. The 10 year Rangers’ vet has 15 which is tops for all active skaters.
Then there is Adam Fox, who picked up two points and broke a record held by Ray Bourque for most points by a defenseman in elimination games for a single postseason. His 11 points are tops in elimination scenarios.
Of course, we can’t forget Igor Shesterkin as he seems to be getting stronger with each passing game after nightmare starts in Pittsburgh in Round One.
Against the Carolina Hurricanes, he posted a .949 SV% and a 1.72 GAA.
“I felt a little shaky before the game, but when I go to the ice, I tried to forget about everything and tried to keep focused on the puck,” Shesterkin said. “We scored two quick goals, and this helped me so much.”
The Rangers remain overlooked by sites like MoneyPuck, as they were around 30% to get by Carolina. Heading into the Conference Final they have the lowest odds to get to the Stanley Cup at 33.3%.
Yes, the Edmonton Oilers, who are facing the preseason favorite to win it all in the Colorado Avalanche have better odds. MoneyPuck is giving them a 40.2% chance to advance. The Rangers had 6 more points than Edmonton in the regular season.
The Rangers obviously don’t care. They truly believe in themselves and it’s time others do too.
“Our goalie led the way,” Gerard Gallant said. “We took advantage on the power play and made it tough for them to comeback. You’ve got a pay price to win games in this league. I love the way our guys competed. I’ve said it 100 times this year, we’re not perfect but we find a way to win.”
Rangers vs Hurricanes Series
| GM 1: 2-1 Hurricanes (OT) | 7PM ET | (ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVA Sports) |
| GM 2: 2-0 Hurricanes | 8PM ET | (ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVA Sports) |
| GM 3: 3-1 Rangers | 3:30PM ET | (ESPN, Sportsnet, SN360, TVA Sports) |
| GM 4: 4-1 Rangers | 7PM ET | (ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVA Sports) |
| GM 5: 3-1 Hurricanes | 7PM ET | (ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVA Sports) |
| GM 6: 5-2 Rangers | 8PM ET | (ESPN, SN TVAS) |
| GM 7: 6-2 Rangers | 8PM ET | (ESPN, SN TVAS) |
NHL Playoffs
The New York Rangers are going to the ECF after eliminating the Carolina Hurricanes. Recap and relive it all here. Read more.
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