And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen, New York Rangers playoff hockey. What a ride it’s been. This time last year, we were just happy and a bit relieved to be there. While it was a rather quick rebuild, it felt like forever for fans since they were last cheering on the Rangers in the playoffs and we were rewarded with such an exciting run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately that run ended with a heartbreaking loss to Tampa and from that moment on, this team had one thing in mind. Vengeance. Flash forward 12 months and 82 games later, the Blueshirts are back and will be taking on another franchise that is in a very similar situation as they were last year. Except it isn’t just another franchise, it’s one their most hated rivals from across the river, the New Jersey Devils.
All bias aside, this is one of the most exciting first round matchups in the entire league. You have this star studded Rangers team going up against a team led by young, rising stars in Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer. One of the biggest rivalries in the league, this battle of Hudson will be the first time the two teams see each other in playoffs since that dreaded Conference Semi-Final Game 6 loss when Adam Henrique called game in overtime. Prior to that, the Rangers beat the Devils in 5 in the first round and were swept by them in 2006. That being said, since Y2K, the Rangers are 1-2 against the Devils in the postseason making this series the perfect opportunity for them to even that stat out. On the Devils end, this is their first playoff appearance since they lost in the first round to Tampa in 2018 and haven’t won a round since they went to the Cup Final in 2012.
The two teams saw each other four times this season where the Rangers went 1-2-1 but as we all know, playoffs are a whole new world. The Rangers have the advantage of coming off a long playoff run last season but the Devils had their number in the regular season. Not only that but the Devils play a high speed game with a lot of guys that can be difference makers looking to prove their team belongs in the postseason. However, the Rangers have one of the most important advantages and that’s with their netminder. Igor Shesterkin fell off a little from his otherworldly, Vezina Trophy winning season last year, but is still one of, if not the best goalie in the league and has been heating up at the perfect time down the stretch. He will certainly need to be at the top of his game in order to shut down Jack Hughes and the Devils who had the fourth highest goals per game in the regular season.
For the Rangers, you have to feel confident while knowing things can go wrong if they don’t play their game. With the additions of Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane, this very well could be the best Rangers team we’ve seen in a long time, potentially up there for all time. Everyone is going to need to show up and play their respective game but for three of the Rangers youngsters, this is another opportunity to shine bright on a national stage in attempts to build off their playoff success last season. They aren’t kids anymore as Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere have solidified themselves as a power house third line for this Rangers team. While a bulk of the attention will be on the top six star names, they’re going to be trusted with a bulk of the work and need to get rolling in the Devil's zone as much as they can.
The Rangers have to get off to a strong start tonight. As exciting as it was to watch them come from behind in each and every vital game in the first two rounds, they can’t let the Devils think for even a second that they have a chance here. Vitek Vanacek has had a good year in Jersey but there is no reason that the Rangers can’t make Lindy Ruff question who his starter should be with the amount of elite goal scoring talent they have up and down their roster. With New York having been here before, they need to take game one and roll with it. Don’t make it hard for yourselves and find yourself in do or die, comeback situations.
As a Rangers fan, you don’t want to give the Devils any credit but they have a lot of talent in their top nine. However, the Rangers should have the advantage in depth as Jimmy Vesey, Barclay Goodrow and Tyler Motte make up one of the best fourth lines around the league. They’re going to need to bring a steady, reliable presence whenever they’re out there and with Jersey having home ice, they may need to bring it against Jack Hughes and the Devils top players. Defensively, the Rangers have a bit of an edge but if Luke Hughes finds his way into the mix, the Rangers need to make him feel uncomfortable as quickly as possible to avoid any breakout performances from the rookie.
For the Rangers, expect what we’ve been seeing lately to start game one:
Kreider - Zibanejad - Kane
Panarin - Trocheck - Tarasenko
Lafreniere - Chytil - Kakko
Vesey - Goodrow - Motte
Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Trouba
Mikkola - Schneider
As projected for the Devils, they’ll be going up against:
Tatar - Hischier - Mercer
Palat - Hughes - Bratt
Meier - Haula - Boqvist
Wood - McLeod - Bastian
Siegenthaler - Hamilton
Graves - Marino
Bahl - Severson
As Vince reported from yesterday’s practice, it appears that Kane joins Kreider, Zibanejad, Fox and Panarin on the top power play unit with Miller quarterbacking Tarasenko, Trocheck, Chytil and Lafreniere. The Rangers are also staying in a hotel in Jersey instead of their respective homes which are all across the river or in the tri-state area. Reason being they want to treat these like true road games as they won’t have the luxury of being just across the river if they advance as hoped/planned. As far as player status goes, the belief is everyone was around 100%. Jacob Trouba did leave practice early but it was regarding a personal matter which was reported to not jeopardize his status for tonight.
This series definitely won’t be easy for the Rangers but assuming they play the way we know they can, they should be more than capable of taking care of business. While the Devils had the regular season edge, the team’s mainly played each other earlier in the year when the Rangers were going through their rough patch. From hearing Gallant speak on the series, it sure sounds like the Rangers have the right mindset knowing they’re capable of going all the way while keeping in mind that things could fall apart quickly if they don’t show up.
Players to watch/Potential X-Factors: Tyler Motte, Vladimir Tarasenko, Kaapo Kakko
That being said, Rangers in 6. Let’s get it done, Rangers Nation! NO QUIT IN NEW YORK. LETS GO RANGERS.
IT’S ONLY TEENAGE WASTELAND
Chris Feldman
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