The Rangers picked no better time than Game 7 to be the first road team in the series to win a game away from their home arena. In a winner-take-all May 30 affair, New York came out fire and never looked back.
After coming back from being down 3-1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the previous series, the team once again found themselves in a hole – this time against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Down 3-2 and against a backup goaltender just like in the Penguins series, the Rangers returned home for game six. They jumped out 3-0 in the game and never looked back, punching a ticket to Carolina for one last game.
The nerves seemingly overcame the Hurricanes as they took two bad penalties early on, opening the door for the Rangers to secure a 2-0 lead on two power play goals by Adam Fox and Chris Kreider. It was 4-0 before the Hurricanes could finally beat Ranger goalie Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers wouldn’t give Carolina any chances to get back into the game, responding immediately to the goal and eventually winning 6-2.
It was a chippy and physical series, something the Rangers don’t typically thrive in; but they definitely showed up when it mattered most. After Game 3 in Madison Square Garden, former Ranger, Tony DeAngelo and Ranger coach Gerard Gallant exchanged words in a disagreement as boos rained down toward DeAngelo and the Hurricanes. After Max Domi took a “cheap shot” at Ranger player Ryan Lindgren, things escalated quickly.
At the end of Game 4, Ranger enforcer Ryan Reeves had some words for Max Domi following his actions. The players had to be separated, but the next three games were set up for high emotion as well.
Next up for the Rangers: the Eastern Conference Finals versus the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. This will be the third straight year a team from New York has made it to the ECF, the Islanders having competed in the last two.
The Rangers look to have a different outcome and become the first team in three years to fend off the Lightning. In the regular season, the Rangers beat the Lightning three times, dropping zero games.
Mika Zibanejad played a key role in all three of those wins. He scored the game-winning shootout goal in the first game, scored a hat trick in the second, and then in the third and final meeting, scored a power play goal with 15 seconds left to sweep the series.
The Rangers will have to match the speed of the Lightning in this series, and cannot wait until Game Seven to win a road game. Luckily, they will have home ice where they are 6-1 in the playoffs.
Where it could be viewed as in the Rangers favor: the Lightning will be without top scorer Brayden Point, who suffered a bad injury in Game Seven of their opening round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. What is scary, though: the Lightning swept the Florida Panthers in the next round, who had the best record in the NHL, and had boasted about as close as you can get to an all all-star roster.
“He’s [Igor Shesterkin] a good goalie, obviously had a great season,” Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy said of his upcoming competitor, the Rangers’ steady-handed Shesterkin. “It’s a great challenge for us. But it’s not about one guy on the other side. It’s about the whole team. They’re very consistent, a very complete team.”
The Rangers need to play ahead in this series and use home ice, because falling into a hole to the Lightning is virtually inescapable. A trip to the final, a chance at glory, is on the line.
