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Rangers, undefeated in the playoffs, don’t get enough credit

 Matthew Garcia
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Rangers, undefeated in the playoffs, don’t get enough credit
Credit: Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Damn, that’s fun, playoff hockey.

The Avalanche pulled off quite a comeback in Game #1 of their series against the Stars…

The Canucks silenced Oilers fans last night by completing their remontada…

The Bruins-Panthers series is synonymous with intensity, physicality and emotion…

And even though it’s 2-0 to the Rangers, they and the Hurricanes are currently playing extremely close games (both of which ended 4-3, the second of which required two overtime periods).

Everyone’s talking about how flawless the Avalanche are, how the Panthers are built for the playoffs, how deep the Hurricanes are…

But we have to admit that, right now, there’s a certain lack of respect for the Rangers. Yet the Rangers have yet to lose a game since the start of the playoffs. And they’ve scored three or four goals in each of their six games.

Add these six wins to the last two in the regular season, and the Rangers are 8-0 in their last eight games.

Oh yes, I forgot: the Rangers also finished at the top of the overall standings during the regular season (114 points).

The Rangers have offense; Mika Zibanejad (11), Vincent Trocheck (10), Atemi Panarin (7), Alexis Lafrenière (7) and Chris Kreider (6) all have at least one point per game.

Lafrenière is a new player this year(Credit: YouTube [screenshot])

The Blue Shirts ‘ big defense gets the job done: Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren form a superb top four. And Erik Gustafsson Braden Schneider is no celery stalk either!

Igor Shesterkin, the 2021-21 Vézina Trophy winner, has a .929 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average.

And Peter Laviolette coaches with as much confidence as he did in 2006, when he won the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes!

Take a look at the Rangers line-up and tell me honestly what its weaknesses are?

The Rangers had to lose to learn how to win.

They lost in the qualifying round in thesummer of COVID…

They missed the playoffs in 2021…

They were eliminated in the Eastern finals in 2022…

And they were eliminated (in seven games) in the first round last year.

Can’t wait to see how far they can go this year. Will today’s return to Carolina smile more on the Hurricanes or the Rangers’ coach?

Can the Hurricanes really hope to beat the Rangers four times in five games?

Jeff Gorton’s team?
Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko, Ryan Lindgren, Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller, Filip Chytil and Igor Shesterkin were already Rangers regulars when Jeff Gorton left the New York organization.

Matt Rempe had just been drafted, as had Braden Schneider.

In short, the team currently on the ice is still Gorton’s (and Nick Bobrov’s). All the more reason for Canadiens fans to continue supporting their team during this reconstruction.

Especially since Gorton and Kent Hughes have understood that, yes, it takes talent and speed to win… but it also takes size and a strong/physical game.


In gusto

– Will we see him in Quebec a year from now?

– Attention women’s hockey fans.

– Jack Eichel impresses Dominique Ducharme.

– A name to remember.

– Julien BriseBois believes in his group.

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