A week ago, the New York Rangers were up 2-0 on the New Jersey Devils and seemed to be cruising towards the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Friday, they find themselves down 3-2 in the series with a do-or-die Game 6 on tap for Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
If you're a Devils fan, it's an absolutely incredible turnaround. If you support New York, it's a loss away from a monumental postseason collapse.
“Jersey played a h**l of a game, you've got to give them a lot of credit,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said after his team was shut out 4-0 by their cross-river rivals in Game 5. “They played their best game in the series tonight.”
This Rangers team was expected to compete for a Stanley Cup in 2023, but they're now one loss away from an early offseason.
“A few too many times we've been in this situation,” Rangers winger Chris Kreider said, according to ESPN. “So win one hockey game at home. All the cliches and euphemisms I throw at you guys all year, it's time to step up and do those things, right? It's time to play for a full 60 minutes. It's time to win a hockey game.”
New York scored 10 goals in the first two games of the series at Prudential Center, opening up a 2-0 lead heading back to MSG and firmly in the drivers seat.
Since then, the offense has dried up, with just two tallies over the last three games; Devils goaltender Akira Schmid and his team have completely stifled any and all Rangers momentum.
If the Rangers can't find a way in Game 6, it'll be a complete waste of draft capital after trading the farm for Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, who are both likely to leave in the offseason.
New York has one of the most potent top-six groups in the league with Kane, Tarasenko, Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibenajad and Vincent Trocheck.
But if they can't score when it matters most, it'll be hard to believe this is the group that can bring the city its first Stanley Cup since 1994.
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