RANGERS REBOOT
Gear up for Pens, another Cup bid
THE RANGERS accomplished every regular-season goal they could, securing the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time since 1993-94 and setting franchise records for wins (53) and points (113).
That’s all in the past now. It’s on to season two, as Marc Staal described the playoffs.
The Rangers’ quest to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year and win for the first time since ’94 begins Thursday at the Garden when they host the limping Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
“I think everybody understands how hard it is and how much work you have to put in and how dedicated you have to be with everything, your preparation and the way you play and commitment to reach that,” Henrik Lundqvist said. “We’re all looking forward to that and we put everything out there to try to reach that opportunity again to play in the Final. “But let’s start with the first round. And I don’t think it’s gonna be a difference to try to win the first round compared to the third round. Teams are so ready to get things going right away.”
The Penguins (43-27-12) led the Rangers 3-1 in last year’s conference semifinals. Between Games 4 and 5, Martin St. Louis’ mother died.
A day later, St. Louis rejoined the team for Game 5 and the Rangers won three straight and the series.
This year’s Pittsburgh team is clearly not the same as last year’s Metropolitan Division-winning squad. It was one of the worst teams in the NHL down the stretch, going 4-9-2 in its final 15 games.
The winner of RangersPenguins will play the winner of the Islanders-Capitals series, which begins Wednesday in Washington.
“We understand now it’s a little different animal to prepare,” Ryan McDonagh said. “We realize you’ve got to raise your level. We don’t need to flip the switch on the style that we play. We’ve got to continue to play well defensively, get to our strengths and use our speed, and it’s about just getting out there and executing now.”
Several players like McDonagh and St. Louis are finding their games at the right time, but also fourth-line center Dominic Moore has four goals in his last six games. Moore was a critical part of getting the Rangers to the Cup Final last spring, when both Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan missed time due to injuries and Brad Richards faltered late in the postseason.
Trade-deadline acquisition Keith Yandle is also hitting his stride with 10 points over his last 12 games.
“I feel good, especially getting ready for the playoffs,” Yandle said. “Since I got here I’ve been in awe of how good this team is and what we can accomplish.”
The Rangers were off on Sunday and again on Monday. They’ll practice Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for Game 1.
The series begins Thursday and will be played every other day throughout.