WHAT A RUN!
The News looks back at Rangers’ dramatic march to Stanley Cup Final
ROUND 1
GAME 1: RANGERS 4, FLYERS 1
With game tied 1-1 in third, Rangers get power-play goals from Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin 47 seconds apart to snag their playoff opener.
“Ever since he’s shown up here, you can see in the way he approaches the game: He’s so smart mentally, real wise in his experience, and he just steps up in big moments,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh says of Richards, who had three points. Henrik Lundqvist is rarely tested, stopping 14 of 15 shots.
GAME 2: FLYERS 4, RANGERS 2
The Rangers jump out to a 2-0 lead on the Easter Sunday matinee, but Rangers do little else as Flyers go 2-for-3 on the power play to even the series.
“We know we have to be better,” says Rangers right wing Martin St. Louis. “We knew they were going to be better after Game 1, and they were.”
GAME 3: RANGERS 4, FLYERS 1
Call this the Dan Carcillo game. The former Flyers pest-turned-Blueshirt comes out of the penalty box to score the Rangers’ fourth goal and punctuates the score by staring down Flyers fans. Why is he so wound up? Just two shifts earlier he is laid out on a shoulder-to-chin hit from Matt Read and is taunted by Flyers fans as he lies on the ice.
“Nothing surprises me about this city and the way people act,” Carcillo says.
GAME 4: FLYERS 2, RANGERS
1 The Rangers fail once again to win a game when they lead in a series, getting stoned by Steve Mason, who makes 37 saves in his first start of the series.
GAME 5: RANGERS: 4, FLYERS 2:
Rangers jump out to a 3-0 lead at home and hang on as Philly makes it a 3-2 game with 1:29 left on Claude Giroux’s first goal. But the Rangers didn’t allow another shot on Lundqvist, who finishes with 24 saves before Brian Boyle scores an empty-netter with 15 seconds remaining.
“We scored on our chances,” says Mats Zuccarello. “Last game we had a lot of chances and didn't score. This one we scored three goals in our first 12 shots.”
GAME 6: FLYERS 5, RANGERS 2
The Rangers are a complete no-show in Philly as Wayne Simmonds registers a hat trick to set up a Game 7.
“I already started thinking about (Game 7) because you don’t want to analyze this too much,” Lundqvist says. “There were a couple tough plays. I felt like they were a little hungrier, but we just have to respond the right way.”
GAME 7: RANGERS 2, FLYERS 1
Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard, two top playmakers who have been quiet in the series, set up goals by Carcillo and Benoit Pouliot, respectively, less than nine minutes apart in the second period to give Lundqvist (26 saves) all the cushion he needs.
“I don’t think anybody feels satisfied with the way they played at all,” McDonagh says. “I think everybody has another level, and we’re going to need it to beat the next team.”
ROUND 2
GAME 1: RANGERS 3, PENGUINS 2
The Rangers play first OT playoff game and actually score two goals in sudden death.
Pouliot is initially credited for ending the game 3:13 into the extra period, but a video review shows Brassard scoring the game-winner seven seconds prior.
“I thought it was in,” says Brassard. “The sound of the back post and the main post is different, and I felt like it hit the inside of the goal, but it doesn’t really matter. We got the job done after.”
Despite coughing up an early 2-0 lead, the Rangers are able to earn the win thanks to Lundqvist’s 34 saves.
GAME 2: PENGUINS 3, RANGERS 0
Lundqvist (32 saves) is outstanding again, but the rest of the Rangers are sluggish. The Pens aren’t great either, but an unlucky bounce off Dan Girardi’s stick leads to the game’s only goal by Kris Letang.
GAME 3: PENGUINS 2, RANGERS 0
Playing their fifth game in seven days, the Rangers are shut out for the second consecutive game, despite outshooting Pittsburgh, 35-15.
“I’m happy about our whole team tonight,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault says. “We tried real hard. We
were forced to play a stupid schedule, five games in seven nights, and I’m real proud of how our guys handled it.”
Pens captain Sidney Crosby and forward Jussi Jokinen both score on breakaways after expired Ranger power plays as the Blueshirts continued to struggle with the man advantage, going 0-for-5.
GAME 4: PENGUINS 4, RANGERS 2
In what many figured would be the last home game of the season, the Garden crowd thunders boos upon forward Rick Nash for a costly second-period giveaway in their third straight loss to Pittsburgh.
The Rangers’ stars struggle as McDonagh loses battles and races in key moments, Martin St. Louis is arguably the worst player on the ice and Lundqvist allows soft goals to both Evgeni Malkin and Jokinen. But when Nash commits his turnover, resulting in Pens center Brandon Sutter’s shorthanded goal for a 2-1 Penguins lead, the fans have enough.
“It’s tough, but you understand where they’re coming from,” Nash says of the booing.
GAME 5: RANGERS 5, PENGUINS 1
In a stunning turn of events, the Rangers — rallying around St. Louis after the sudden death of his mother, France, the day before — storm into Pittsburgh and roll in Game 5.
St. Louis flies straight from Pittsburgh to Montreal the night before the game to mourn with his family, and he returns to the Steel City and dresses in honor of “the greatest person I’ve ever known.”
“I know deep down my mom would want me to play this game,” says St. Louis, who consults with his father, Normand, and plays 16 minutes.
GAME 6: RANGERS 3, PENGUINS 1
Playing in front of a friendly and energized Garden crowd on Mother’s Day, St. Louis puts one home for Mom, and the Rangers force Game 7 with a spirited win.
The veteran opens scoring in the first when the puck bounces in on a rebound off St. Louis’ knee, and he gallops toward the corner boards, overcome with emotion as the crowd chants, “Marty! Marty!”
“With the way we played in Game 4, we weren’t happy,” says alternate captain Marc Staal. “We knew if we played our best game, if we played the way we normally play, we were going to have a chance to come back and win the series.”
GAME 7: RANGERS: 2, PENGUINS 1
Lundqvist paints a 35-save masterpiece, completing the Blueshirts’ first comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and sending them to a second Eastern Conference Final in three seasons. Brad Richards scores the decisive goal 7:56 into the second period.
CONFERENCE FINAL
GAME 1: RANGERS 7, CANADIENS 2
The Blueshirts not only blitz Montreal, they also take out starting Habs goalie Carey Price when Chris Kreider slams into him in the second period. How much of a rout is it? Even Nash scores his first goal of the postseason.
GAME 2: RANGERS 3, CANADIENS 1
It’s the Lundqvist show, as he makes 40 saves to put the Rangers two wins from the final. The Rangers’ netminder makes several huge stops in the opening minutes of the first period, but Montreal finally breaks through 6:14 into the game, when Habs forward Max Pacioretty gives Montreal a 1-0 edge.
But the Rangers need just 17 seconds to even the score in what Vigneault calls the “turning point” of the game. McDonagh alertly tracks down the puck at the blue line in the offensive zone and fires it on net, where it bounces off defenseman Josh Gorges’ skate into the goal.
The Rangers then go ahead with 1:02 left in the opening period as Nash scores for the second time in two games, off the Kreider feed, getting the puck past Dustin Tokarski, who is making his playoff debut.
GAME 3, CANADIENS 3, RANGERS 2 (OT)
The series takes a nasty turn as Brandon Prust levels Derek Stepan with a firstperiod hit, breaking his jaw.
Still, the Rangers appear to be destiny’s darlings as Kreider’s goal off Montreal defenseman Alexei Emeli’s skate with 29 seconds left in regulation sends game to overtime. But the Canadiens get back into the series just 1:12 into overtime when Alex Galchenyuk beats Lundqvist on a rebound. Rangers do lose Carcillo, who bumps ref after going after Prust, and is suspended 10 games.
GAME 4: RANGERS 3 , CANADIENS 2(OT)
The Rangers look sloppy, committing nine penalties, but St. Louis beats Tokarski high to glove side 6:02 into OT to put the Rangers one victory from the Final.
Carl Hagelin and Derrick Brassard both score on breakaways, but P.K. Subban’s power-play goal three minutes into the third sends the game to overtime.
Rangers do get lucky as Galchenyuk hits the crossbar with about three minutes left.
GAME 5: CANADIENS 7, RANGERS 4
Lundqvist allows four goals on 19 shots before being pulled halfway through the game. But the Rangers bury three goals in a span of four shots to tie the game, 4-4.
Montreal’s Rene Bourque, however, wrists home his second tally of the night just 58 seconds later. Then Bourque tallies an insurance goal with 13:27 to play in the third before David Desharnais adds an empty-netter to keep the Canadiens alive.
GAME 6: RANGERS 1, CANADIENS 0
Dominic Moore scores the lone goal in the second period, and Lundqvist turns in a save for the ages to send the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup final in 20 years.