WASHINGTON — Standing at a podium with the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo in the background, Jacob Trouba painted a picture of his Rangers team.
It’s a real-life look at how the Blueshirts have operated under the bright spotlight throughout the season, from losing in the first round of last year’s playoffs to winning the Presidents Trophy in 2023-24.
“All the noise outside doesn’t always come in,” the Rangers captain said. “I think [after Game 3] We were just hanging out and talking in the hotel, no one was really talking [Matt Rempe’s hit] Hockey and anything related to it. I think a lot of the outside noise just lingers outside with friends just hanging out together.
“You can watch as much as you want, but don’t go on social media or read a ton of books. Just play your game, go to work, unite a tight-knit team, and do that.” Try not to let things like that creep in too much.”
The Rangers will face a tough Sunday night against the Capitals, shut out the first round, and have their first chance to win four straight in 17 years.
Everyone and their mothers have an opinion about the Rangers this season.
Were they really the best team in the NHL? Are they simply a product of goaltending and special teams?
How will they actually fare against the top teams in the league?
Well, the Rangers certainly reaffirmed their position through the first three games of the postseason, defeating the Capitals 11-5 and maintaining a high level of competition to fend off Washington’s threat in this series.
None of this is possible without a certain attitude, a certain perception of ourselves as a team, and what it takes to get to our destination.
So when word gets out that they’re playing a bad Capitals team that might not deserve to be in the playoffs, the Rangers won’t hear it.
And while half the hockey world was aghast at Rempe slamming Trevor van Riemsdyk into the boards and knocking out the Capitals defenseman for the rest of Game 3 and Game 4, the other half was 6-foot-8 and a half. praised the forward. , the Rangers weren’t listening.
“I try to avoid social media,” Rempe said. “We were playing Halo together.” [Chris Kreider] And last night they. I played it for the first time. Killed 68 times. It was a bad performance. A very, very poor performance. ”
Lempe knows his job is to get hits, and the Rangers as a whole know their job is to win games.
If there’s a regular season mentality that can be carried over, it was the Rangers’ one this season.
We’ve been working on it for seven months since day one of training camp.
Rangers have a job to finish now and have their heads in the right place to get it done.
“I think we just stay focused on the game,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “I think we’ve done a good job throughout the regular season and playoffs. We just stay up to date day-to-day and what’s going to happen is what’s going to happen when it happens.
“Worry about tomorrow, care about tomorrow, do tomorrow’s work, prepare for tomorrow.”
