Rangers’ season has built up to this moment of truth
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Rangers have proven themselves every day since mid-September, and now it’s up to them to do it again. A season full of embraces, unity and belief has led them to this moment of truth. It all depends on who wins the Presidents Trophy, but it also depends on the core Blueshirts […]
Rangers spending far too much time in defensive zone
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Rangers played more defensively than they probably wanted in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Panthers, but not as well as they had in the previous two games. The Blueshirts kept the puck on their sticks more often, so they weren’t under siege and were able to control […]
In familiar playoff spot, Rangers need road save for the ages
The Rangers recorded an NHL-best 55 wins and 114 points and opened the postseason with seven straight wins, but lost 3-2 to the Panthers with 60 minutes remaining in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers finally scored their first points of the series on Chris […]
Rangers’ struggling stars staring at elimination scenario
The Rangers need to play one more game against the Panthers to find an answer offensively or their dream of ending a 30-year drought without hoisting the Stanley Cup will end prematurely. Five games into the conference finals, the Rangers’ big three on offense remain largely absent. That may have been enough to explain their […]
Rangers didn’t give Igor Shesterkin enough help again in Game 5
The Rangers put in a much better effort Tuesday night than they did two days before, or even the day before that. There were more fights, more possession and more chances. For at least 40 minutes it didn’t feel like the ice was tilting against them. But once again the best player on the ice […]
Rangers struggling to find correct right wing to jump-start top line
The revolving door at right wing on the Rangers’ top line continued to spin Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, with Filip Chytil returning to the lineup and assuming the position again — at least as a starter — in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Panthers. Chytil, a Czech forward, skated […]
Rangers once again outplayed by Panthers in third period
The room was brimming with the possibility of victory during the second interval as the Rangers played the Panthers on home ice for 40 minutes to earn a well-deserved draw. It’s been a long time since this team was one win away from the Stanley Cup Final, since 2015 to be exact. The score was […]
Alexis Lafreniere needs to get shot with struggling Rangers power play
You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 1,000 times, and if the Rangers face elimination in Game 6 and can’t solve it at sunrise on Saturday, you’ll likely hear it 1,000 more times this offseason alone. Teams that rely too heavily on the power play to thrive will be told they don’t stand a chance […]
Rangers will now need Game 6 magic on road — just like 1994
The final minutes of the game were played out against a shrill soundtrack of desperation, pleading, hoping and begging, until 10 minutes and 22 seconds into the third period, Anton Randle slipped past Igor Shesterkin to steal the puck, stunning 18,006 anxious fans and briefly silencing their voices to give the Florida Panthers a 2-1 […]
Rangers can find hope on the brink in eerie 1994 stat
Rangers are in exactly the wrong position to want to be in, but history may yet be on their side. Though the Blueshirts lost Game 5 at the Garden on Thursday night and are down 3-2 to the Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals, there’s a promising, but rather eerie, connection to the 1994 team. […]