Rangers Stun the Canes, Advance to ECF
date
May 17, 2024
Files & media
slug
Rangers-advance
status
Published
tags
Rangers
Hockey
summary
The New York Rangers know how to complete a comeback unlike any other team in the NHL, and they did it again.
type
Post
There was never a doubt.
Losing a playoff series of seven after being up 3-0 is one of the rarest occurrences in all of sports. It has only happened four times in the NHL’s history, the last being the 2014, Los Angeles Kings.
With that said, The Rangers, who dominated the first three matchups of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, were approaching ambiguous territory as Carolina captured two straight victories, forcing a game 6 in Raleigh.
The implosion against the Devils last year was beginning to creep into the minds of Ranger fans. The team looked completely lost and lifeless in games 4 and 5.
Peter Laviolette was quoted in an interview following the 4-1 game 5 beat down in MSG; “Desperation is a funny thing…You can’t give it to somebody. You actually have to feel it…We’ve got two days to get things squared away here.”
Game 6 began in a similar fashion to games 4 and 5, the Hurricanes controlled the pace and flow of the puck in the 5v5 and jumped out to a 3-1 lead through two periods. For a team that led the NHL in come from behind wins in the regular season, a 3-1 deficit did not feel out of reach for this Rangers group.
However, in the second period, with approximately seven minutes remaining, a miraculous defensive play from Jordan Martinook saved a sure goal off the stick of Ryan Lindgren, heightening the degree of desperation that Laviolette spoke of and it was becoming distinguishable in the Rangers body language. At least that was what the broadcast kept echoing, but I knew, you could never count this team out.
The start of the third period was when the blueshirts decided to ramp up the aggressiveness. They stayed patient all game, not straying from the game plan they had in place despite getting smacked in the mouth by Carolina’s constant offensive pressure.
The poise of the Rangers cannot be overstated, in a hostile arena, down two goals, high danger opportunities for New York being thwarted, but the longest tenured Ranger; Chris Kreider, had seen enough.
Kreider would score his first goal of the contest at 13:18 of the third period off a messy rebound that Frederik Anderson couldn’t coral in net, the score now 3-2 and a sense of life was present.
While it felt the Rangers were on the attack the entire third period, Carolina still had plenty of opportunities to extend their lead and bury the Rangers chances of a comeback. Sebastian Aho, thanks to a clumsy New York turnover where two teammates collided at the Rangers blue line, was granted a magnificent opening at a one on one with Igor Shesterkin but the shot was sailed wide of the net. Just two minutes later, Jordan Staal had a golden chance in the slot following a rebound but Shesterkin made quick work of the attempt by Staal.
The desperation appeared to be shifting, the Rangers were threatening in Carolina’s zone repeatedly looking for a game tying goal and the Canes were unable to capitalize on their own scoring chances.
A penalty drawn by Mika Zibanejad, which he certainly sold a bit, gave the Rangers a crucial power play late in the third down only one goal.
The equalizer would come as Chris Kreider, with his second consecutive goal, tied the game at three apiece. A beautifully timed deflection coming off Panarin’s wrist shot, something Kreider has become so adept at in the later years of his career, tie game. All of a sudden, the contest was flipped on its head. The crowd dead silent, was this really happening?
Four minutes thereafter, Kreider would finish off a feat that hasn’t been done in a Rangers jersey since Mark Messier’s “Guarenteed” game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals; a natural hat trick. The gorgeous wrap around feed from Lindgren led to a one timer from Kreider into the twine.
My heart goes out to the young Carolina fan that the broadcast panned to who was bawling his eyes out, but in all honesty, good riddance, that was me in 2015 bud you’ll get over it.
In my opinion, the hat trick couldn’t have happened to a more deserving player than Chris Kreider; a veteran, a leader, a true Ranger through and through.
Barclay Goodrow punched in an impressive empty net goal from the Rangers defensive zone to extend their lead late and the game was wrapped up 5-3.
Four unanswered goals.
This game will go down as one of the greatest comeback victories in Rangers playoff history and certainly comes off as a statement to the rest of the league; the Rangers do not quit.
Right now the Ranger’s opponent for the ECF is still up in the air as the Panthers and Bruins duke it out in their own game six tonight at 7:00pm EST in Boston.
If I had to choose, give me the Bruins so the Knicks and Rangers can collectively bury the city of Boston on the road to greatness.