The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils will battle on Monday night for the last available spot in the second-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs — and Rangers trade deadline acquisition Vladimir Tarasenko isn't feeling the pressure ahead of the winner-take-all Game 7.
“For me personally, I think it's easier mentally [to prepare for Game 7],” he said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. “When you play Game 6 there's a lot of thinking, what happens if. Game 7 is pretty simple; win you advance, lose you're done. It's a big moment. I think we play for these moments. I'm very excited for the challenge.”
Tarasenko certainly has a point; the Russian sniper told Rosen that his mentality for this Game 7 is different from when he was preparing for his first one seven years ago back when he played for the St. Louis Blues.
“I think it's gained through experience,” he explained. “I don't want to say it's not stressful. It's very stressful. But in my mind, it's easier to prepare for a game where it's pretty clear the winner goes on and the loser is out. There's a lot of emotions in my experience in Game 7. We have a lot of experience in this room and I think it can help us.”
The Rangers are certainly the more experienced Game 7 team out of the two; Vladimir Tarasenko was 4-0 in Game 7s with the Blues from 2016-19, highlighted by a do-or-die Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Blues won that game 4-1 to capture the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
And for the rest of this Rangers team, it's a similar experience; twice last postseason they faced down a Game 7 after winning Game 6, once against the Pittsburgh Penguins and again against the Carolina Hurricanes. New York is 6-1 when facing elimination since Round 1 against the Pens last year.
“We know what it takes,” captain Jacob Trouba said after Game 6. “It's desperation.”
Expect to see a great deal of that, on both sides, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Monday.
Follow Us
Subscribe