Quote from: coggs on May 18, 2024, 01:20:00 PMThey literally had ONE losing streak of more than 2 games. It was a 4-gamer that started with a SO Loss. Aside from that, only 5 times where they had back-to-back losses and in 2 of those cases there was a SO/OT loss.
I've got your back on the bigger picture, here, coggs. In fact, if you look at that losing streak, it came after that scorching October/November performance where they went into a collective funk of inconsistency and actually lost five of six. The Canadiens loss was not a bad one, by any means, as they played well, but the Habs were on fire that Saturday night. It wasn't until after the embarrassment in Vegas, and the team letting down Quickie in his return to LA, where they finally woke up, and the huge shootout win in Colorado against the Avs set them on their way (i.e. insert 10-game winning streak here) to where we are today, in my opinion.
Now that we know it's Florida that stands in between the Rangers and a Cup Final berth, we can to a man, honestly state that Florida's credentials, plus their wanting to get back to the Finals to finish the job, makes them a valid favorite in this series. They don't have the hardware, but they are no "Paper Champion" either. Of all the teams in the East, going into the playoffs, both Florida teams (i.e. Panthers and Bolts) represented the biggest challenges for the Rangers should they cross paths (NOTE: I respect the Canes, but I already knew the Rangers could account for them, which they did). So now it's Florida.
A brief (NOTE: good-ending) re-introduction:
There were two others that went to the Cats which ended up close on the scoreboard, but the Rangers chased them in both games.
The shootout win was also made possible by notable absences in Florida's lineup at the time. They'll be coming into the Garden with a full deck, this time, and, even playing short in the March 23 game, their relentless attacking, which saw them jump ahead 3-2 with four minutes left, is representative of the same style play they put Boston away for good with last night. The defense cannot give them the space in front of Igor, nor the swath between there and the point or the Cats will eat them alive.
They're going to have to figure out how to rattle Bobrovsky and capitalize. This shootout win showed some opportunity on how to do it that, in the other two games, they hadn't quite figured it out. Again, their special teams will be the catalyst in solving that puzzle. For the short-handed goals they pulled off against Washington and Carolina, they're going to have a much harder time with Florida's power play who have the speed and physical brute force to shut down the breaks the Rangers capitalized on.
This will be the series where the Breadman can stamp himself into Ranger lore forever if he can make an impact.
My concerns with Foxy not being 100% may end up being the difference in this series, but whether or not they use Jones to spell him remains to be seen. Note that he played in the March 23 game and held his own, for the most part.
Again, I'm not making any predictions about the upcoming series. We're back to where we were, two years ago, against a tough, physical team who can skate, shoot the puck and score, along with intimidate with brute force. That Rangers' team literally ran out of gas. This one has a sense of purpose. These two teams finished first in their respective divisions and, as such, have earned the right to be here. So, let them play, starting Wednesday, and may it be a great battle of hockey that does the league, and its fans, proud, regardless of the winner.
Having said all that, LGR!
Peace!