Saturday, June 11 signaled the end of yet another “close, but not quite” New York Rangers run.
The harsh reality, sounding like a broken record aside: the Lightning are optically an unstoppable force. They are now four wins away from a third Stanley Cup in three years, and only the Colorado Avalanche stand in their way. No one expected the Rangers to get to the Conference Finals. Even making the playoffs and having the season they did registered as a shock and a few years ahead of schedule.
The team overcame a 3-1 series deficit and a 3-2 series deficit against the Penguins and Hurricanes, going 5-0 in elimination games. That performance set up a date with defending champion Tampa Bay as they tried to do what their crosstown rival Islanders had failed to do
the last two years: win in the Eastern Conference.
The Rangers started off the right way, winning the first two games at home against what looked like a depleted Lightning bunch. Two consecutive years of emotional, extended seasons, ten days of not playing, and down their best player, the Lightning showed a crack in the armor.
The Rangers’ 2-0 lead awoke the sleeping giant, though.
In Game Three, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead. The Lightning looked defeated. Done. Like their time was over. But a Nikita Kucherov goal proved otherwise, and the Lightning roared back to life.
Tampa Bay scored twice more, coming out ahead of a tense Game Three by a score of 3-2. Over the next three games, they only allowed three total goals to the Rangers, completely shutting down the potent offense that had brought New York this far.
Despite the blow, the last thing the Rangers and their fans should be is disappointed. This team made it much farther than anyone would have thought, and the future is positively bright. They will remain competitive for a good long time.
What hurt the Rangers most: playing constant Game 7s wherein they had to dig themselves out of holes. Tapping into that much desperation can eventually drain a team in the end.
Nevertheless, the experience will help them control the trajectory of future series’, where their ‘kid line’ of Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko, and Filip Chytil will play a crucial role.
In Game Six, coach Gerard Gallant decided to bench Kakko; the move did not work, and the Rangers were sent home, but Kakko did say he was going to use it as motivation going into next year. “It’s never fun when you’re not making the lineup,” he told the media after the game. “I wasn’t so happy about that.”
A high-powered, speedy Colorado offense will shoot against Andre Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay’s goaltending brick wall, for the top prize.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche will look to Devon Towes and Cale Makar to try and do what the Rangers ultimately couldn’t: stop the Lightning.
