Oliver Goldin:
The New York Rangers concluded their regular season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Their franchise record of 55 wins helped to account for 114 points this season and earned them the President Trophy for the best record in the NHL. Entering the playoffs, many eyes were focused on left-wing Artemi Panarin. During the regular season, Panarin scored 49 goals and contributed 71 assists to come fourth in points among players with 120. However, goalie Igor Shesterkin was also under pressure to continue his All-Star goalkeeping as the team was getting ready to make a run for the championship. Shesterkin finished the regular season with the third-best record among goalies, as well as a .913 save percentage, the tenth-best among goalies. Additionally, Shesterkin represented the Rangers and the metropolitan division of the NHL at the All-Star game.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Rangers were faced by the Washington Capitals. The Capitals barely qualified for the playoffs, gaining the last seed through the Eastern Conference wild card, despite having fewer wins than other teams eliminated in the Western Conference. The first game of the series was at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Rangers continued their red-hot season with an opening goal from 6-foot 7-inch rookie Matt Rempe. A 4-1 win followed, and, ultimately, the Rangers swept the Capitals and claimed the series winning four straight games.
In the second round, the Rangers were met by a highly anticipated match-up with the Carolina Hurricane. The Hurricane finished the season with the third-best record in the NHL, falling just three points behind the Rangers. Nonetheless, the Rangers entered the series with complete dominance. They won the first three straight games, a historic 7 wins and 0 losses to start the playoffs. The Rangers stunned the Hurricane in Game 3, winning 3-2 in overtime in Carolina. However, the following two games would fall to Carolina. Worry spread amongst Rangers fans, fearing that a dramatic comeback from Carolina was brewing. In Game 6, down 3-1 entering the final period of the game, the Rangers were on the brink of allowing the Hurricane to tie the series. Yet, miraculously, long-time Ranger and alternate captain, Chris Kreider, scored a hattrick in the third period and secured a series victory for New York. The Rangers had now proved themselves a threatening contender for the Stanley Cup and were matched against the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. If the New York-Carolina matchup was highly anticipated, this was even more so. With New York as the 1st seed in the Conference and Florida as the 2nd, the top two were set to battle for a place in the final. In Game 1, Florida stunned the New York fans and played for a commanding 3-0 victory at Madison Square Garden. However, Game 2 followed with an overtime winner by forward Barclay Goodrow that raised the roof in the Arena. Following the victory, the Rangers traveled to Carolina to play two away games. Game 3 brought an electric victory for the Rangers after an overtime winner from Alex Wennberg. The Rangers flipped the series around to take a 2-1 lead on the road. However, the series would take a turn for the worse from here. A third consecutive overtime took place in Game 4, although this time it fell to the Panthers to tie the series. Subsequently, the Panthers took another stunning victory at Madison Square Garden in Game 5. As a result, the Rangers were forced to go to Carolina for Game 6 with the series on the line. Unfortunately, their run for the Stanley Cup would end here. Despite last-minute efforts, including a man-advantage goal in the dying minutes from Mika Zibanejad to bring the Rangers within one goal, they would lose the game 2-1 as well as the series. The loss was heartbreaking for the President’s Trophy winners and the New York fans’ hopes for a championship playoff run. In an interview following the loss, Artemi Panarin admitted “when we led Carolina 3-0, we felt so much confidence in our room… And it kind of turned in the Florida series.” The Rangers star only managed one goal in the final nine games of their playoff run. Ultimately, “this year we felt like we deserved to be there and we should be there,” said Captain Jacob Trouba. Hence the reason the team and their fans were so disappointed by the defeat, only two wins away from the championship series. That said, it was still an amazing and memorable season for the New York Rangers and their fans. The team set a franchise record for wins in a regular season and secured the best regular season in the NHL. The Rangers most definitely deserved to be in the playoffs and were a strong contender for the Stanley Cup. For the players and the fans, “That’s the feeling going forward
The Dutch Report 