Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

ECF ouster not 'special' ending Rangers expected

Written by 
Published in Hockey
Saturday, 01 June 2024 23:51

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The New York Rangers didn't see this end coming.

They were the Presidents' Trophy winners on the strength of a 114-point regular season. They breezed by the Washington Capitals and defeated the Carolina Hurricanes handily to reach an Easten Conference final against the Florida Panthers.

But that's where it all fell apart for the Rangers, who lost 2-1 in Game 6 of their series on Saturday night, eliminated from the postseason in the third round for the second time in three seasons.

"What we built as a team here, it just felt special this year," Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. "It felt like we had something in this room. It was a bond. [It's] probably too soon to elaborate more."

Trouba, in particular, came under fire for his performance on Saturday. New York's rugged defenseman misread a play at his team's blue line late in the first period, allowing Evan Rodrigues to feed Sam Bennett for Florida's opening score.

That was Bennett fourth goal in the series, tying teammate Matthew Tkachuk's franchise record for most markers in a conference final in Panthers' history. His three-game goal streak also tied a Panthers playoff record.

Trouba's slow reaction contributed to the Rangers being in an early deficit they never overcame. Vladimir Tarasenko scored his first goal of the conference final -- against the veteran's former team to boot -- midway through the third period to give Florida a 2-0 lead.

By the time Artemi Panarin notched his first of the series -- with New York having already pulled goalie Igor Shesterkin -- there was just 1:39 remaining. Too little, too late from one of the Rangers' stars who had failed when it mattered most.

It wasn't just Panarin, though. Mika Zibanejad didn't score against Florida. He and Chris Kreider -- who had one short-handed tally in the series -- combined for only three shots in Game 6. And while Panarin broke through eventually, his line with Vincent Trocheck -- who led the Rangers in postseason points with 20 -- and Alexis Lafreniere were stymied by the Panthers all night.

New York lost on Saturday its third straight game by a single goal. Shesterkin's excellence -- he posted a .935 save percentage and a 2.25 goals-against average in the series -- simply wasn't enough to continually overcome the Rangers' inability to get pucks past the Panthers.

"[After] one-goal games, you think about every little play, every missed opportunity, every mistake," defenseman Adam Fox said. "It hurts. When games are that tight, it sits with you, every little play you maybe could've done differently."

Shesterkin earned accolades from both dressing rooms following the loss, and Florida's coach Paul Maurice compared the goalie's showing to a legendary run from the NHL's Hart Trophy winner in 2002.

"I haven't seen a series by a goaltender like that since [former Montreal Canadiens goaltender] Jose Theodore in 2002," Maurice said. "He was brilliant in this series. He was pretty good."

It was the rest of New York's lineup not providing enough backup. The Rangers never found the right formula to rattle Florida. And New York's momentum-sucking power play didn't help matters. The Rangers were 0-for-1 with the extra man in Game 6 and 1-for-15 in the series, a long drop from the club which held the league's third-best power play in the regular season (26.4%) and entered the series even better (at 29.7% in the playoffs).

New York stumbled too often. And there was no comeback magic left in the Rangers -- despite them having earned an NHL-record 34 come-from-behind victories in the regular season and six more in the postseason.

"They got to their game more consistently," Kreider said. "They were dialed in on what they were doing."

The loss could signal changes for the Rangers. It's an unsettling feeling for New York to sit with given the promise of this season and how swiftly it ended with a thud.

"The culture we built here, the camaraderie, that's something we're going to have to turn over," Fox said. "It sucks to think this year is over, but what we built is strong."

New York hoped to be heading home for a Game 7. Instead it will return with unanswered questions about what's next.

"Our guys fought this year; they bought in right from the start," coach Peter Laviolette said. "We make it to this point and it's disappointing. When you start something like this ... you do it to go the whole way. So there's a disappointment right now that sets in with our group and our intentions we had throughout the year. Nobody was expecting to be on this end of it."

Read 59 times

Soccer

Grealish, Rice shrug off Irish boos: 'No bad blood'

Grealish, Rice shrug off Irish boos: 'No bad blood'

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsEngland's Declan Rice and Jack Grealish shrugged off their hostile...

Marsch: 'Much rather' coach Canada than U.S. now

Marsch: 'Much rather' coach Canada than U.S. now

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJesse Marsch said he was not bitter about being passed over to coac...

USMNT suffers 1st home loss to Canada in 67 yrs

USMNT suffers 1st home loss to Canada in 67 yrs

The United States men's national team suffered its first home loss to Canada in 67 years, as it cont...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Gary Payton Sr. takes over at College of Alameda

Gary Payton Sr. takes over at College of Alameda

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFormer NBA star Gary Payton Sr. is the new head coach of the Colleg...

Nuggets, Murray agree to 4-year, $208M extension

Nuggets, Murray agree to 4-year, $208M extension

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDenver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray has agreed to a four-y...

Baseball

Red Sox SS Story activated, will start Saturday

Red Sox SS Story activated, will start Saturday

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox activated Trevor Story off the 60-day...

Mets' McNeil has broken right wrist, MRI reveals

Mets' McNeil has broken right wrist, MRI reveals

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNew York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil has a broken right wrist a...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated