Playoff matchups in opposition to the Penguins represented an annual ceremony of passage by the center of the previous decade. These had been the salad days of Alain Vigneault’s reign behind the bench, through which the Blueshirts skilled their biggest success because the mid-90’s.
This mini-era — when the Rangers went to the Cup finals in 2014 then received the Presidents’ Trophy with the NHL’s greatest document a yr later earlier than shedding the 2015 convention finals in seven video games — represented the end result of the reconstruction that had begun a decade earlier underneath common supervisor Glen Sather and was directed from behind the bench by Tom Renney, then John Tortorella, then Vigneault.
The Rangers certified for the playoffs 11 instances within the first 12 years of the hard-cap period — make that the Henrik Lundqvist Period — that commenced with the 2005-06 season. They superior previous the primary spherical seven instances and went to the convention finals on three events within the four-year span from 2012-15, through which they performed a league-high 76 postseason contests.
There have been distinct variations of that group, the Black-and-Blueshirts underneath Tortorella evolving into Vigneault’s multi-dimensional groups on which Lundqvist was the frequent denominator. By definition, the Rangers had been flawed, unable to take the Cup regardless of changing into the one workforce in NHL historical past to beat 3-1 collection deficits in consecutive years and going 15-4 in elimination video games in these 4 highlighted years.
However you knew fairly nicely what you had been going to get from these groups. They had been a big-game workforce with gamers who would reply, going 6-0 in Video games 7 … till they in the end didn't reply and till they had been shut out at house in Recreation 7 by the Lightning in 2015 (after getting shut out at house in Recreation 5).
These Rangers had just about been by all of it, beginning in 2012 after they needed to come again from 3-2 in opposition to Ottawa with Recreation 6 on the street in a very nasty first spherical. It was that collection through which Chris Kreider made his NHL debut, lower than two weeks after being a part of Boston Faculty’s Frozen 4 NCAA championship.
Kreider, who stuffed the lineup spot that opened for Recreation 3 after Carl Hagelin had been suspended for concussing Daniel Alfredsson with an elbow, grew with the workforce. He has been by all of it. He was a important element of the workforce that beat the Penguins in seven in 2014, took them out in 5 a yr later then had been routed out in 5 video games themselves in 2016.
These had been the times earlier than the NHL restricted media entry to the locker room, a coverage that was understandably instituted within the wake of the pandemic however stays in place for no logical motive apart from to limit entry and management the message. If MLB can open clubhouses to vaccinated and boosted media, the NHL can open locker rooms.
Again then, you could possibly get a way of how groups felt about themselves. Now, not a lot. It will have been fascinating to have the ability to try and get a pulse of this group previous this first-round collection in opposition to the Penguins that opened on the Backyard on Tuesday within the Blueshirts’ first playoff match in 5 years, however now there may be reliance solely on others’ — and events’ — observations.
Vigneault’s Rangers had been cool, calm and assured after years of trial (and error). Gerard Gallant’s squad hasn’t been by any of this. Mika Zibanejad, who was right here for the 2017 playoffs through which the workforce beat Montreal within the first spherical earlier than being ousted by Ottawa within the second spherical, is the one different participant on the roster who has playoff expertise whereas carrying a Rangers uniform. There isn't a precedent on which to rely — or smash — for this workforce.
However Kreider, who achieved a doctorate in net-front presence whereas rising as a Zen-like, 52-goal-scorer after by no means beforehand having hit the 30-mark, stated that he couldn’t essentially detect a distinction between this membership’s atmosphere and that of Vigneault’s golf equipment.
“It’s arduous to say. It seems like a very long time in the past now, and I used to be in a special place, form of being a younger man on that workforce and simply nervous about not stepping on eggshells,” No. 20 stated earlier than the opener. “However I believe no matter whether or not a workforce has been to the playoffs a number of years in a row, is veteran, is younger, there’s all the time pleasure this time of yr.
“There are all the time butterflies, and guys are simply excited to return to the rink and they're excited to compete and play.”
All proper, there are similarities off the ice. Now we'll be taught whether or not there are similarities on the ice. However wait, there may be one hypothetical dissimilarity that may be unanimously embraced. That might be profitable the Stanley Cup.
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