Alternate History NHL 2008 and beyond

Was thinking of making his into a timeline, but its a scenario I had in my head for a while about if certain moves were made in 2008 and how the NHL may have changed. I am an NY RANGER fan so it will be very RANGER centric but these moves will have some effect on the rest of the time line. I used what if sports to help me here along with some assumptions. If this belongs in the timeline thread mods please move it there. This was based on an article Larry Brooks posted in the NY post back in late 2010. Link here (https://nypost.com/2010/04/04/rangers-had-done-deal-for-stamkos/). Here goes.

5/4/2008: In game 5 of the Eastern Conference semi finals the New York Rangers are eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Prior to this season GM Glen Sather had added free agent centers Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to an already star studded offense of Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan. He had hope these moves would bring the cup back to Broadway alas it wasn't to be as they were beaten by a younger faster Pittsburgh team. After watching this happen Sather realized that he too would need to cut ties with his veteran players and go out and get younger faster personnel to support young superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist. His main goal was to get Steven Stamkos the potential number 1 overall draft pick.

6/21/2008: Its the annual NHL draft in Ottawa and Sarnia Sting standout Steven Stamkos is projected to go number 1 overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before the start of the draft, Sather approaches Lightning owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules and offers them a pick of 2 of the 3 following players (Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Dan Girardi) and 2 draft picks. Tampa balks at the offer and drafts Stamkos 1st overall. The Rangers go on to draft Michael Del Zotto,Derek Stepan, and Evgeny Grachev in the first 3 rounds.

Summer 2008: The Rangers let popular free agents Jaromir Jagr,Brendan Shanahan, and Sean Avery walk. To top that in the hours before free agency they trade Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Nik Zherdev and Dan Fritsche. They also sign Free agents Markus Naslund and Wade Redden to add experience and bolster the D as well as substitute for the loss of Jagr.

October/November 2008: The NHL season opens in Prague with match ups between the aforementioned Rangers and Lightning both games end in 2-1 victories for the Rangers. As a result of this the Rangers go 10-2-1 in October and many experts praise the Rangers for their moves. However by November the cracks began to show. Meanwhile in Tampa Stamkos got off to a slow start despite being on a veteran loaded team. Coach Barry Melrose was also not a fan of his and began to cut his minutes to the point of suggesting he be sent back to Sarnia. As the Thanksgiving weekend approached the Rangers visited Tampa and Sather reignited the talks. Tampa listened this time but wanted another NHL ready player in the deal. The phones rang back and forth throughout the rest of the month.

December 1 2008: Tsn Sportscentre and we have a breaking trade to announce here, looks like the Tampa Bay Lightning have given up on struggling rookie Steven Stamkos. Pending league approval the Lightning have traded Steven Stamkos to the New York Rangers for Brandon Dubinsky,Marc Staal, and 2 players in the system Michael Del Zotto and Evgeny Grachev.

The trade sent shock waves throughout the league and both teams fan bases. On the Tampa side most fans were happy to be rid of a rookie who looked to be going nowhere, however others were angry that they gave up on him that quick. On the NY side most talk radio hosts and fans alike were hating on the Rangers for giving up 4 young players for a player deemed to be a bust 2 months into his career especially while the 2 they gave up were contributing to a good season at that point. Despite this hockey experts were 50/50 with criticism on both ends of what happened. Stamkos was unproven yet young, while Dubinsky and Staal showed signs of good futures but were probably never going to be more than role players.

2008-09 Season: After the shock of the trade wore off Stamkos joined the Rangers ast first he was used as a 3rd line center but eventually moved up to a 2nd line center after a few games. Despite a slow start and constant ridicule from the media and fans Stamkos picked it up in the 2nd half finishing with 23 goals and 23 assists. Despite struggling throughout much of the winter Stamkos's turn around along with the deadline acquisitions Derek Morris and Nik Antropv, and reacquiring Sean Avery pushed the Rangers into the playoffs as the 7th seed and saved coach Tom Renney's job despite rumors of his firing in February. In the playoffs the Rangers faced the Washington Capitals in round 1. Despite the Caps being heavily favored, the Rangers jumped out to a 3-1 series lead and looked to be in the drivers seat. However it wasn't to be as the Caps won 3 straight and knocked the Rangers out in 7 on a late Sergei Fedorov goal. It was a disappointing ending to the season, and it ultimately cost head coach Tom Renney his job. As they playoffs played out the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in 7 to win their 3rd Stanley Cup.

2009 Offseason: After the disappointing 7 game loss and the firing of Tom Renney, Glen Sather knew he had work to do to improve his team. Before any moves were made Markus Naslund announced his retirement. The first order of business was to find a new coach to lead the team. That decision was made during the finals as Mike Sullivan former Bruins coach, and current Tampa assistant coach was hired to head the bench. Sullivan promised a faster team with more opportunity for younger players. Sather followed this plan as he wanted to get younger and faster. When draft day arrived the Rangers drafted speedy and big winger Chris Kreider out of Boston College who fit into this young and fast philosophy. After the draft Sather began to wheel and deal to reshape the team, 1 day prior to free agency Scott Gomez was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Chris Higgins and Ryan McDonagh this opened up a spot at center for young prospect Artem Anisimov. When July 1 arrived despite the chance to acquire Dany Heatley in a trade or sign ufa Marian Gaborik Sather stood pat. The only signing he made the rest of the summer were signing depth forwards Vinny Prospal,Brian Boyle ,and Ales Kotalik along with Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy.

2009-10 Season: After the summer the Rangers took the ice for the 09-10 season. After hearing much criticism the prior season Steven Stamkos came into the season looking to prove everyone wrong. He spent the summer in Toronto training alongside former teammate Gary Roberts and impressed in camp and preseason. After dropping the opener against defending champion Pittsburgh, the Rangers won 8 in a row with Stamkos scoring at will and finally looking like the player he was promised to be. Stamkos continued to be a force during the season however the rest of the team struggled. After a great October the Rangers played around .500 the rest of the season. As the season wound down the Rangers found themselves on the playoff bubble. At the deadline they picked up Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust in exchange for Higgins and Kotalik. This move was hoped to jump start the team however it didn't do much and the Rangers found themselves in a tie for 8th place with the Philadelpha Flyers going into the final weekend of the season. Ironically the last 2 games of the season would be a home and home with the same Flyers. After winning the first game at the Garden the second game in Philly would determine who would go to the playoffs and who would go home. Jody Shelley scored early for the Rangers and they held that lead until the 3rd period where Matt Carle tied it. As the 3rd wound down Vinny Prospal hit Stamkos on a breakaway and he scored his 46th of the season. As the Flyers pushed and pushed for the tying goal Stamkos sailed the puck into the empty net for goal 47 and a trip to the playoffs.

With the win the Rangers qualified as the 8th seed and a match up with the dreaded Washington Capitals who were cup favorites and Presidents trophy winners. After dropping the first 2 in Washington the Rangers came home in a rut. Late in game 3 Stamkos scored to put the Rangers ahead 3-2 and get them back in the series. In game 4 it was the Stamkos and Lundqvist show as Stamkos had 2 goals and Lundqvist posted a 3-0 shutout. Despite the momentum, the comeback wasn't meant to be as Washington took the next 2 games and defeated the Boston Bruins,Pittsburgh Penguins, and Chicago Blackhawks in a thrilling 7 game series on the road to their 1st Stanley Cup. Alex Ovechkin won the hart and Conn Smythe along with his first cup. With Pittsburgh and Washington winning cups in back to back years and splitting 2 playoff series as well, most experts were lauding them as the Celtics and Lakers of the NHL and the rivalry would continue for the next few years. As for Glen Sather he knew that the draft and free agent class of 2010 would greatly shape his team for the next few years.

2010 Offseason: After another exit at the hands of Washington Glen Sather's mission was to bolster the offense to take some pressure off of Steven Stamkos. This plan would be carried through the draft and free agency. At the draft, with the 12th selection the Rangers chose Vladimir Tarasenko an offensively gifted right winger from Russia who would be another dynamic offensive player upfront. Despite the pick Tarasenko announced he would remain in Russia for 2010-11.

As the offseasons went onin 2010 the Rangers got a player who they had been coveting for quite some time, that player, Marty St.Louis. It was no secret that St.Louis had been unhappy in Tampa, and had wanted to go to New York to be closer to his wife's family in Connecticut. In 08-09 and 09-10 he had requested to be dealt to the Rangers but a deal could never be reached. Finally Sather was able to get Tampa to budge by sending the Michal Rosival and the Rangers 2011 1st round pick to Tampa for MSL. St.Louis was excited to be closer to family and to have a chance to again play with Steven Stamkos whom he played with for a short time in Tampa. Sather also signed Swedish league top scorer Mats Zuccarello to a deal along with Ruslan Fedotenko to provide more depth. Oilli Jokinen was not resigned. These signings along with a loaded defensive prospect pool and young depth players such as Ryan Callahan,Artem Anisimov and up and coming center Derek Stepan had the experts stating that the Rangers would be a threat in years to come, however in the upcoming year they believed they'd be a low seed again as Pittsburgh,Philadelphia,New Jersey, Washington, and Boston were all had better depth even though Philly had a down year the prior year.

2010-11 Season: The Rangers started the season with a bang as Derek Stepan scored a hat trick in his first NHL game. Despite a hiccup in mid October and captain Chris Drury in a slump the Rangers caught fire in late October and rode it all season. The depth players previously mentioned were living up to expectations, and little used Brian Boyle was having a career year. Henrik Lundqvist continued his excellence between the pipes and mid season call ups Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer were stalwarts on the blueline. But what had everyone happy and hopeful was the combination of Steven Stamkos and Marty St.Louis up top, the 2 players had a chemistry like that of Gretzky and Kurri as both players had other teams defensemen shaking their heads. Stamkos finished 1st in goals in the league with 51 and St.Louis potted 31 goals along with 68 assists to finish 2nd in league scoring with 99 points. Despite all of the positivity the Rangers found themselves in 3rd in the Atlantic division most of the season as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh held onto the top spots, with New Jersey slumping those 3 teams pulled away from the rest of the pack in the division. However with defending champions Washington coming alive mid season and Boston bouncing back the east was as dangerous as it had been in years. As the season came to a close the Rangers finished 46-25-11 with 103 points, their best total since the cup year of 93-94.

More to come much more
 
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2011 postseason
2011 Conference Quarterfinals: After having their best season since the cup winning 93-94 campaign the New York Rangers came into the postseason as a team to be reckoned with. With 2 lines that could score 1 that could check and 1 that could intimidate along with a young d-core led by veteran Bryan McCabe, and a superstar goalie in Henrik Lundqvist many experts penned them a dark-horse team. Despite having their best season in 17 years the Rangers couldn't draw home ice advantage as they finished with the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference and drew a match up vs the injured Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite being contenders again the Pens found themselves without the services of their 2 best players Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both out with injury.

Game 1 was a tight affair that saw both teams trading chances in the 1st and 2nd period. Going into the 3rd the game was a nail biter, however early on Alexei Kovalev put the pens on the board, Aron Asham would score 20 seconds later and Chris Kunitz would ice the game on a empty netter. The Rangers would get revenge in Game 2 with a 3 goal first period despite Pittsburgh potting 1 in the 2nd, Marty St.Louis scored on the power-play to put the score at 5-1 and Ryan McDonagh added an insurance marker to tie the series.

Going back to NY tied at 1 the Rangers had confidence however Pittsburgh would take both Game 3 on a 3rd period tie-breaking goal and Game 4 in double ot. Game 5 would take place on an early Saturday afternoon with most Pens fans making plans for the 2nd round. Head coach Mike Sullivan caught wind of this and rallied his troops for Game 5 by putting the quotes on the marker board. In what was a fairly even 1st period the Rangers got on the board late on 2 quick goals by Steven Stamkos and Sean Avery. This would open the flood gates as Stamkos and Avery struck again in the 2nd along with Derek Stepan to give the Rangers a 5-0 lead. 2 goals in the 3rd by Ryan Callahan gave the Rangers a 7-0 lead, and despite 2 goals by Pittsburgh, Artem Anisimov would score to give the Rangers an 8-2 win to send the series back to NY with a chance to tie it.

Game 6 opened with a Pascal Dupuis goal early in the 1st however the Rangers would tie it on a Ryan Callahan goal later that period. In the 2nd the Rangers went ahead on a goal by Ruslan Fedotenko. Early in the 3rd the Pens tied it on a goal by Jordan Staal, however a minute later Vinny Prospal broke the tie, and Brian Boyle sealed the game for the Rangers to send it back to Pittsburgh tied at 3 for a pivotal Game 7.

As Game 7 in Pittsburgh started nerves were felt all over, the game was even all throughout out period 1 as chances were had on both sides. As the 2nd period started Pittsburgh seemed to take over the momentum however about 5 minutes in the Rangers entered the Pittsburgh zone on a routine play Sean Avery drew 2 Pens to himself he dropped the puck to Artem Anisimov who slid it over to a streaking Ruslan Fedotenko who put it in for a 1-0 Ranger lead. After that it was an onslaught by the Pens who threw everything they had at Henrik Lundqvist, however the all world goalie stopped everything thrown at him. The 3rd period saw Lundqvist repeat his heroics and as the clock reached 0 and the Rangers had won their first playoff series in 3 years coming back from being down 3-1, it was also their first Game 7 road win. Many experts lauded this as an upset, however others stated that the Rangers depth and goaltending badly outnumbered Pittsburgh's which is why they came out on top.

2011 Conference Semifinals: After coming back from being down 3-1 and defeating Pittsburgh the Rangers next opponents would be the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals who had just beat Tampa Bay in 5 games. Unlike the Pens the Caps had been rolling since January and weren't dealing with any major injuries. Many experts were choosing them to repeat as cup champs. On the Rangers side Mike Sullivan preached the us vs the world mentality saying that just like the Pens series no one is predicting the Rangers to win this one either. This series along with the Boston vs Philadelphia series in the east was a ratings dream for NBC as the 4 biggest Eastern markets would be playing into May and 2 would make it to almost June, it also guaranteed that 1 would at least be in the finals.

Game 1 started with the Rangers getting on the board first with the unlikely hero of round 1 Ruslan Fedotenko scoring, however 2 minutes later the Caps would tie it on a goal by Alexander Semin. Early in the 2nd Eric Fehr put the Caps ahead, but late in the period Vinny Prospal would tie it for the Rangers, with just 2 minutes left in the period Jason Chimera was sent off with a minor penalty. With just over 30 seconds to play Steven Stamkos would put the Rangers ahead 3-2. As the game entered the 3rd the Caps pressed and pressed but had no answer for a dominant Henrik Lundqvist, as the game wound down Erik Chistensen was able to ice it with an empty netter for the Rangers to put them ahead 1-0 in the series.

As the series shifted to Game 2 the momentum belonged to the Rangers and it showed as they scored late in the 1st period to go up 1-0 on a Derek Stepan goal. The 1-0 lead held through much of the 2nd until Brooks Laich tied it. Going into the 3rd tied at 1 both teams had equal chances, until Marty St.Louis broke the tie midway through the 3rd. This lead held until late in the 3rd when Alex Ovechkin tied it sending the game to ot. The ot started out with both teams getting equal chances however with a little less that 14 minutes left when Derek Stepan potted the game winner to send the series back to NY at 2-0. As the series shifted back to Madison Square Garden there was a buzz in the air that hadn't been felt since the mid to late 90's.

Game 3 started with a buzz in the air and the Garden going crazy. Playoff hero Ruslan Fedotenko started the scoring to send crowd wild and the Rangers into the 2nd period with a 1-0 lead. However as the 2nd started Washington came out playing like the team that had won the cup the previous spring as Mike Knuble tied it early and John Carlson scored later on to put them up 2-1. 4 minutes later Derek Stepan scored to tie the game at 2, however a tripping call on over the hill captain Chris Drury put the Caps back on the powerplay where Alex Ovechkin put home his 5th of the playoffs to give the Caps a lead and have them 20 minutes away from getting back into the series. Heading into the 3rd the Caps looked firmly in control. However on a routine clear out 5 minutes in the puck was intercepted by Bryan McCabe who slid it over to Steven Stamkos to tie the game, 20 seconds later Brian Boyle scored to put the Rangers up 4-3 and that was all she wrote for Game 3, which had the Garden faithful chanting sweep after the final buzzer.

Going into Game 4 Washington captain Alex Ovechkin stated “It is not over. We won't give up. We're going to win.”, head coach Bruce Bodreau also stated that the Garden was no longer intimidating to them and the noise was low. When asked about this Rangers coach Mike Sullivan sated were going to play our game. In a rare occurrence in the NHL Game 4 was played the very next night. Midway through the 1st period Brian Boyle put the Rangers up by 1 on a powerplay goal, however the Caps would tie it on a powerplay goal by Marco Sturm soon after. Early in the 2nd the Rangers would take the lead on a goal by none other than playoff hero Ruslan Fedotenko, 8 minutes later Fedotenko would strike again to put the Rangers up 3-1, however 1 minute later John Erskine would bring Washington back to within 1 and the game would head to the 3rd with the Rangers up 3-2. Early in the 3rd the Rangers would get some insurance on the powerplay from an unlikely Matt Gilroy goal, 10 minutes later Marty St.Louis would ice the game with a goal. With the score 5-2 the Ranger fans were merciless in chanting sweep and can you hear us. Despite John Carlson scoring late for the Caps, the game ended 5-3 in favor of the Rangers and sent the defending Stanley Cup Champions home. The Rangers advanced to their first conference final in 14 years and waited the winner of the Boston-Phladelphia series which Boston currently led 3-0.

2011 Conference Finals: After a stunning upset of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, the New York Rangers drew the Boston Bruins in the conference finals for the right to play for the 2011 Stanley Cup. This was a rivalry renewed as the experts said as both teams hadn't met in the postseason since 1973 and had the exact same path to the conference final. Many experts were having trouble predicting this series and couldn't pick a clear cut favorite, however many expected Boston to take it due to the home ice advantage.

In what was a largely anticipated series the Rangers started Game 1 throwing everything they had at an unprepared Boston team. This resulted in them scoring 3 goals(Fedotenko,Gilroy, and Callahan) in a little over a minute in a half to quiet the Boston crowd. Despite the shock the Bruins were able to pull one back late in the 1st courtesy of Tyler Seguin. After a scoreless 2nd period the Rangers added 2 more goals on a powerplay goal by Matt Gilroy and an empty netter courtesy of Sean Avery, despite Boston pulling another goal back the Rangers walked out with the win and the momentum.

This same momentum carried the Rangers over into Game 2, as Erik Christensen scored 13 seconds in, despite Boston tying it midway through the 1st, Marty St.Louis scored late to take the momentum and the energy out of the Bruins. Going into the 2nd period the Rangers had all the momentum and had quieted the crowd, however they would do something they hadn't done since Game 4 vs Pittsburgh and that was take their foot off the pedal. The Bruins came out in the 2nd period and scored 3 goals in the first 7 minutes, despite Derek Stepan scoring to put the game with in in reach Boston then scored 2 more goals to go up 6-3. Heading into the 3rd the Bruins looked to be in control however the Rangers had other plans as Steven Stamkos scored early on and Artem Anisimov scored later on to put the Rangers within 1. Despite all of the Rangers efforts the game ended in a 6-5 win for the Boston Bruins, snapping the Rangers 8 game winning streak and sent them back to MSG with the series tied and with the momentum.

This momentum carried over as the Bruins played suffocating hockey in Game 3 and earned a 2-0 shutout, it carried over further into Game 4, as the Bruins went up 3-0 in the 1st period as the Rangers looked to still be asleep during the Saturday afternoon contest. During the 1st intermission the Rangers locker room door was closed, what was said is still not known, but the team came out with a jump in their step in period 2. 6 minutes into the 2nd Ryan Callahan got the Rangers on the board, and followed with another goal a minute later. 3 minutes later playoff hero Ruslan Fedotenko tied the score and the game was a whole new one. Going into the 3rd tied at 3 the Rangers had confidence while the Bruins were beyond nervous, midway through the 3rd Sean Avery put the Rangers up for good and despite some halfhearted efforts by the Bruins Marty St.Louis iced the game with an empty netter to send the series back to Boston tied at 2.

In a series that was carried by momentum the momentum followed the Rangers into Game 5, as Sean Avery scored 1 minute into the 1st period, the rest of the 1st was a see saw battle for both teams, however as string as the moentum had been in this series the monentum shift had been just as strong, as the Bruins captured the momentum in period 2 to take a 2-1 lead, despite a back and forth 3rd period that saw chance after chance by the Rangers Boston iced the game on an empty net goal by Rich Peverley, giving the Bruins a chance to clinch the series in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden.

If Game 5 was considered somewhat boring, Game 6 was likened to a punch for punch heavyweight title bout. The Rangers continued their MO of scoring early as Ryan Callahan gave them the lead just 36 seconds in, however the Bruins would respond with goals from Milan Lucic and David Krejci to go into the 2nd period up 2-1. However in the 2nd period the Bruins could't stay out of the box and the Rangers answered on powerplay goals by Marty St.Louis and Ryan Callahan to go into the 3rd up 3-2, a late penalty also would also give the Rangers the advantage in the 3rd. Continuing with the scoring early MO Steven Stamkos scored on the powerplay 34 seconds in to put the Rangers up 4-2, however this 2 goal lead was short lived as the Rangers got into penalty trouble of their own and David Krejci scored his second of the game to put the Bruins within 1. However 30 seconds later the Stamkos-St.Louis combo would strike as Marty St.Louis would pot his second of the game to put the Rangers up 5-3. However 3 minutes later the ever dangerous David Krejci picked up the hat-trick to put the Bruins within 1 and despite a furious onslaught by Boston, Henrik Lundqvist was able to turn them aside and the Rangers sent the series back to Boston for a Game 7 and the right to meet the Vancouver Canucks in the finals.

If Game 6 was a scorers duel, Game 7 turned into a goaltenders battle between Henrik Lundqvist and Tim Thomas. Throughout out the 1st and 2nd both goaltenders turned shot after shot aside with a slight edge to Boston. The game continued to be played this way into the 3rd period in which surprisingly no penalties had been called either. With a little over 7 minutes left the Bruins entered the Rangers zone a pass was sent over to Nathan Horton by David Krejci, Horton deflected the shot passed Lundqvist to give the Bruins the lead. Despite furious onslaughts by the Rangers the Bruins tightened up on D and won the game and the series to go back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 21 years. A dejected Ranger team left the ice despite the loss Mike Sullivan praised his players for playing to the final whistle and getting there despite the experts saying they had no chance. These same experts praised the Rangers saying that the team left it all out there and had a bright future to look ahead to as they had many fast skilled prospects to add to an already established lineup. As for the Bruins the same as in the OTC would occur, they would defeat the Vancouver Canucks in 7 to win the Stanley Cup.

More to come.
 
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2011 Offseason: After a hard fought 7 game loss to Boston the mood was somber around the New York Rangers. Despite surprising some people, and taking many large steps many around the team believed they should have come out on top. When asked Mike Sullivan pointed to losing control during Game 2 as what killed them. Sullivan felt they were firmly in control until that point, but after that the series became a see saw affair in which experience won out. Despite this Sullivan still preached building off of that as well as the younger faster moniker.

On breakup day a bombshell was dropped from the Rangers practice facility as captain Chris Drury announced his retirement. It was no secret that Drury had definitely lost a step the previous season and the oft injured captain contributed 1 goal in the regular season and playoffs combined. In a way the retirement helped Glen Sather as Drury had been rumored to be bought out throughout most of the previous season. The Rangers also announced later that day that Vinny Prospal,Bryan McCabe, and Matt Gilroy would not be resigned.

On June 1 the Rangers were able to acquire the rights to unsigned prospect Tim Erixon of Calgary. It was hoped that Erixon would fit the younger faster moniker and replace the holes on defense left by McCabe and Gilroy. As June turned into July, free agency opened. Many players wound up in play such as Jaromir Jagr and Brad Richards. On the opening day of free agency the Rangers signed the player they were looking for that player was Keith Yandle an offensive dsman capable of running a powerplay. Yandle was predicted to play on the Rangers 2nd pair and he gave them the much needed younger legs on the back end. As July went on the Rangers received more good news as Vladimir Tarasenko was let out of his contract with Sibir Novosibirsk and signed with the Rangers, Mike Rupp was also signed for 4th line depth. With all of these moves made experts lauded the Rangers as one of the elite teams in the now loaded Eastern Conference.

As training camp started 2 stories surrounded the Rangers. One was who would be captain as Chris Drury had retired, this question would be answered rather quickly as Mike Sullivan stated Ryan Callahan,Dan Girardi, and Marty St.Louis would all wear As in the preseason and a captain would be chosen at the end of training camp. Another question would be how would the new look defense turn out. This question was more of a 50/50 answer as Keith Yandle dazzled, but Tim Erixon looked to be having trouble keeping up. Despite this Mike Sullivan stressed patience with Erixon. The Rangers then shuttled off to Europe where they would finish training camp and begin their season on the eve of the season opener Mike Sullivan announced that Marty St.Louis would be named team captain for 11-12 with Ryan Callahan retaining his A and Dan Girardi taking the 2nd A. Even though the team had a somewhat shaky 3rd d pairing with a younger forward core big things were expected this season from them.
 
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2011-12 Season: Heading into the season with big expectations the New York Rangers headed to Sweden to open the season with a pair of games vs the LA Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. Despite all of the fan fare about being in superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist's homeland, and the explosive offense the team lost both games in overtime and a shootout. The main culprit of these games was the teams inexperienced defense who looked lost at times. The teams fortunes didn't fare better as they returned to New York, as they lost another game to the New York Islanders on Long Island. With a Western Canada roadtrip coming up many fans were calling for Sather and Sullivan's heads as well as blaming the league for such a bad opening schedule. Despite the troubles the Rangers were able to take 3 of 4 in Western Canada and despite a home opening loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs they looked to be turning it around, however this momentum was killed when they blew a 4-2 lead at home and lost in a shootout to the Ottawa Senators. This game was where Mike Sullivan lost it. He called out the entire team saying no ones job was safe and said his patience with Tim Erixon had run thin. The following game Erixon was sat along with rookie Vladimir Tarasenko. The result was a character building 5-2 win vs the San Jose Sharks.

As October turned into November the problems on defense were adjusted as the Rangers signed ufa Anton Stralman who had been released from the New Jersey Devils. The results of signing Stralman along with Sullivan's wake up call resulted in a 6 game winning streak for the team and a 9-2-0 November. Despite this Sullivan still tinkered with as he called up Carl Hagelin and John Mitchell late in November, both were immediate contributors. The winning continued into December as the Rangers took over 1st place in the Atlantic Division prior to the Christmas break and the contributions were coming from all over. Unlike the previous season the team had 3 lines that could score and 1 that could intimidate This set up a showdown between them and the Philadelphia Flyers in the Winter Classic. Despite going down 2-0 early the Rangers came back to win on 2 goals by unlikely hero Mike Rupp and a game winner by Steven Stamkos. This win put the Rangers in 1st place in the entire NHL where they would be for the rest of the season.

As the season went on the winning continued and the league took notice. Up front Steven Stamkos was having a career year and 2 overtime winners vs the hated New Jersey Devils had the league noticing him as the best skater. Not to be undone Marty St.Louis was showing why he was the best choice to be captain as his leadership was almost Mark Messier like. Rookie Vladimir Tarasenko was showing serious consideration for the Calder Trophy as his play had picked up after an early season benching. Ryan Callahan was also showing leadership skills as his playing full of heart was giving him his best season he had ever had. On D Ryan McDonagh was showing that he could be a true number 1 dman, and Keith Yandle was meeting expectations. The best part of the story was in goal as Henrik Lundqvist was playing lights out and was a runaway candidate for the Vezina Trophy. All of these factors had experts and even some other GMs lauding the Rangers as Stanley Cup Favorites. As the season wound down to April the Rangers found themselves in some clinching scenarios. Despite losing to the Boston Bruins on April 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins loss to the Philadelphia Flyers clinched them their first division title in 18 years and 1st place overall in the Eastern Conference. After defeating the Flyers 2 nights later for a team record 53rd win, the Rangers went into Pittsburgh on April 5 with a chance to clinch the Presidents Trophy, however they would need luck on their side to do it as the Penguins punished the Rangers 5-2. Across the continent that night the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks to give the Rangers the Presidents Trophy and home ice throughout the playoffs.

The season ended two nights later with a loss to Washington. However the Rangers finished 53-23-6 with 112 pts. Steven Stamkos scored a team record 62 goals to win the Rocket Richard and finish 2nd in league scoring. The team also boasted 2 30 goal scorers in Calder favorite Vladimir Tarasenko who actually scored 35 and Ryan Callahan who finished with an even 30. In net Henrik Lundqvist posted a 1.97 GAA and was a favorite to win the Vezina Trophy. The team depth was great as young call ups Carl Hagelin and John Mitchell were immediate contributors as Hagelin wound up on the first line with Stamkos and St.Louis at the end of the season. Another huge pickup was Boston College standout Chris Kreider who was signed at the end of March. Kreider initially was given 4th line minutes but scored 2 goals in the final 4 games, and stood out when paired with Artem Anisimov and Vladimir Tarasenko. All in all the fans considered this one of the best seasons in team history, but them along with the team realized there was still 1 more goal to achieve.
 
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2012 Conference Quaterfinals: The Rangers entered the playoffs as the number 1 seed overall and the number 1 seed in the east, as well as Stanley Cup Favorites. In the 1st round the Rangers drew the number 8 seed Ottawa Senators. Despite the season the Rangers had, Ottawa had given them trouble most of the year and some experts predicted this could be an upset. As Game 1 approached there was a buzz around Madison Square Garden as the front office made it into a gala event of sorts. Despite all of this the players just wanted to drop the puck.

Game 1 got off to a mediocre start as there was no scoring or penalties, as both teams seemed to just be feeling each other out. This continued until midway through the 2nd where Chris Kreider got the Rangers on the board with his first career playoff goal. After that the Rangers had chance after chance to capitalize as Ottawa took penalty after penalty but it wasn't to be. Despite an onslaught by Ottawa in the 3rd, Carl Hagelin and his speed iced the game for the Rangers on an empty netter and his 1st playoff goal.

After a somewhat calm Game 1 the Rangers entered Game 2 with a bang as Steven Stamkos scored 3 minutes in to put the Rangers up 1. Early in the 2nd Stamkos scored again on the powerplay to put the Rangers up by 2 however 4 minutes later Bobby Butler would cut the lead in half for Ottawa. With just a little under 3 minutes left in the 3rd Captain Marty St.Louis would restore the 2 goal lead.That would be all she wrote as bith teams played a scoreless 3rd period, and the Rangers took a 2-0 series lead to Ottawa.

Heading into Game 3 Ottawa vowed to play better and believed they would get a much needed boost with their home fans behind them. This theory would ring true early as Kyle Turris got the Sens on the board 5 minutes in. Midway through the 1st the Rangers rookies would strike as Vladimir Tarasenko scored on a feed from Chris Kreider for his first career playoff goal. The teams would enter the 2nd tied, until Marty St.Louis broke the it 4 minutes in, however 5 minutes later Jason Spezza would score to tie the game and send it to the 3rd tied. Early on in the 3rd Ryan McDonagh broke the tie, and despite Ottawa throwing everything they could at Lundqvist the all world goalie was spot on. With a little under a minute left Ryan Callahan iced the game on an empty netter to give the Rangers a 3-0 series lead and a chance to sweep.

With a chance to win the series in Game 4 the Rangers came out flying, but couldn't put anything in the net in the 1st period. In the 2nd the wheels fell off as Ottawa potted 2 goals by Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno. Midway through the 3rd Dan Girardi was able to cut Ottawa's lead in half, but Erik Karlsson iced an empty netter during a furious onslaught by the Rangers to try and tie it.

With a chance to clinch on home ice in front of raucous garden crowd the Rangers came out with the intent to end it in Game 5. Late in the 1st the rookie connection struck again as Chris Kreider scored off a Vladimir Tarasenko feed. However early in the 2nd Jason Spezza tied the game,however 1 minute later Tarasenko struck for the Rangers and put them up by 1 again. The Rangers controlled the 2nd period after this however late in the period Ottawa tied the game on a Milan Michalek goal and only 4 seconds later Spezza struck again to give Ottawa the lead.The 3rd period was fight and penalty filled and Ottawa came out on top with the win, sending the series back there with a chance to tie it.

Entering Game 6 the crowd in Ottawa was buzzing knowing they had a chance to push the best team in hockey to a Game 7 with a win that night. Although there were nerves in both locker rooms the Rangers seemed the calmer of both teams. With a wild crowd to start the game, the Rangers silenced them as Vladimir Tarasenko scored 55 seconds in. However only a minute later Zack Smith scored for the Sens to tie it. 8 minutes later Steve Eminger would put the Rangers up by 1 and Tarasenko would score again on the powerplay to put the Rangers up 3-1, however Filip Kuba would score just a minute later to put Ottawa within 1. Just 40 seconds into the 2nd Vladimir Tarasenko would strike again putting the Rangers up 4-2 and scoring his first career playoff hat trick, mid way through the 2nd Dan Girardi would score to give the Rangers some insurance. Midway through the 3rd Tarasenko would pot his fourth goal and despite Bobby Butler scoring for the Senators the series would end that night as the Rangers won it in 6.
 
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2012 Conference Semifinals: For the second consecutive year in the 2nd round and the fourth consecutive year overall it would be the New York Rangers vs the Washington Capitals in the playoffs. This year would be somewhat different in that the Rangers were the higher seed and the top team in the NHL while the Caps were a 7 seed and had a down year. In Round 1 the Caps upset the defending champion Boston Bruins, and were eager to get revenge on the Rangers for sweeping them out of the previous years playoffs and taking away a chance at a 2nd straight Stanley Cup.

Game 1 opened at Madison Square Garden on a Saturday afternoon. 2 minutes in the Rangers would get on the board from an unlikely source in Brandon Prust, 5 minutes later Ryan Callahan would double the lead for the blueshirts. Despite the 2-0 lead Troy Brouwer would get the Caps on the boards midway through the 1st and the rest of the period and the entire 2nd period would remain that way at 2-1 for the Rangers. Midway through the 3rd Troy Brouwer would negate his goal by taking an interference call which resulted in a Marty St.Louis powerplay goal. After that the floodgates would open as Brian Boyle and Ryan Callahan scored to put the Rangers up 5-1, and shock the Caps who were riding the momentum from the Boston series.

Game 2 would open much like Game 1 as Derek Stepan scored his 1st goal of the playoffs to put the Rangers ahead, Keith Yandle would then double the lead towards the end of the period. Like Game 1 the 2nd period in Game 2 contained no scoring. Early in the 3rd Marcus Johansson would score to cut the lead in half, however Steven Stamkos would then pot 2 goals to extend the lead to 4-1. Troy Brouwer was able to get the Caps on the board late but it wouldn't be enough as the Rangers would head to Washington with a 2-0 series lead off of 2 dominating performances.

Heading into Game 3, the Caps had the home ice and knew they would need to up their play in order to get back in the series. Despite the Caps renewed awareness Game 3 started off much of the same way as the previous 2 had as Ryan Callahan scored 4 minutes in. The Rangers would double this lead early in the 2nd on a Steven Stamkos goal, that had the Rangers looking well in control. However Marcus Johansson would cut the Rangers lead in half midway through the 2nd. 6 minutes after Johansson's goal Vladimir Tarasenko would restore the 2 goal lead, however it was only short lived as Jeff Schultz got the Caps back within 1. Early in the 3rd Jason Chimera would tie it for the Caps and the rest of the period was a goalie duel between Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby and due to nothing being stetted the game would go to overtime. Early in the ot period the Caps swarmed the Rangers and an Alex Ovechkin shot looked to be in with even the goal horn going off, however the puck hit the post and came back out. A short time later the Caps wound up icing the puck and bringing the draw into their zone. The Rangers won the face off back to Keith Yandle who faked a shot and passed down low to Ryan Callahan who slid the puck over to a waiting Derek Stepan who deposited the puck into the Caps net to give the Rangers the win and the series lead 3-0.

Going into a matinee for Game 4 the Rangers knew they had a second consecutive chance at a sweep, however Washington was also well aware of this and had every intention of extending the series. The result of Game 4 was a listless 1st period, and once the 2nd started the Caps took control getting their first lead of the series on a Troy Brouwer goal. 8 seconds into the 3rd Alex Ovechkin would net his first of the series to double the lead. 3 minutes later Carl Hagelin would score for the Rangers to cut the lead in half, but Mathieu Perreault would score for the Caps 5 minutes later to extend the series to 5 games.The Caps would ride their Game 4 momentum into Game 5 as Matt Hendricks scored early in the 1st, less than a minute later Alexander Semin would double the lead stunning the Garden crowd. Midway through the 2nd Ryan McDonagh would cut the lead in half, but that would be all she wrote as the Caps sent a shocked Garden crowd home and knew they could tie the series next game. Most fans and experts alike were shocked the Rangers blew a 3-0 lead for the 2nd consecutive series.

All eyes were on Washington for Game 6 as the Caps had the momentum while the Rangers were on their toes again. With the crazy DC crowd knowing the series could be tied that night the noise was deafening in the Verizion Center. However the crowd would be silenced early on as Ryan McDonagh scored just 34 seconds in, this lead would hold the rest of the period, until 12 seconds into the 2nd when Steven Stamkos collected the puck off the opening faceoff and ripped a shot past Holtby to further deflate the crowd. Mid way through the 3rd Alex Ovechkin would cut the lead in half as the Caps got on the board. The rest of the period the Caps threw everything they had at Henrik Lundqvist, however he stopped every shot taken, even a double shifted Ovechkin couldn't figure him out. With just under 30 seconds left the Rangers depth struck again as a Brandon Prust clearing attempt found its way into the empty net. As the buzzer sounded the Rangers won 3-1 to win the series in 6 and go back to the conference finals for the 2nd consecutive year. Their opponents would be the cinderella New Jersey Devils who had eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers the previous night.
 
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2012 Conference Finals: For the sixth time in playoff history and second time in conference finals history it would be the Battle of the Hudson the New York Rangers vs the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers came in as favorites but had some question marks as they blew 3-0 leads in both their previous series'. The Devils came in as the 2nd hottest team in the playoffs to the LA Kings. After defeating the Florida Panthers in a hard fought 7 game series, the Devils lost the first game to the Philadelphia Flyers but then blew the doors off the Flyers winning 4 straight and putting the NHL on notice. While many experts and Ranger fans alike were echoing sentiments of 1994, Devils fans were stating This isn't 94.

Game 1 started at a loud and raucous Madison Square Garden, early on the Devils pulled a trick out of the Rangers book and scored 34 seconds in on a Petr Sykora goal. Despite the crowd being shocked midway through the 1st the Rangers tied it on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal. However early in the 2nd Sykora would strike again to restore the Devils lead, but less than a minute later 2011 playoff hero Ruslan Fedotenko potted his first playoff goal to tie it for the Rangers. Midway through the 2nd Ilya Kovalchuk restored the Devils lead, but only 3 minutes later it was Vladimir Tarasenko again who tied it at 3. After a back and forth 2nd period the 3rd got off to a fast start. After trading chances, midway through the 3rd Chris Kreider came streaking down the left side and sailed a pass to Vladimir Tarasenko who put the puck home, to give the Rangers the lead and his 2nd hat trick of these playoffs. 3 minutes later Tarasenko had a chance at 4 but slipped the puck over to Chris Kreider who scored to make it 5-3. The Tarasenko-Kreider combo which had been quiet vs Washington had finally heated up again and the Rangers walked away with a Game 1 victory.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are almost always about momentum and that momentum was with the New York Rangers. Going into Game 2 the Rangers started out with a bang as Steven Stamkos got the Rangers on the board early in Game 2, midway through the period Dan Girardi doubled the Ranger lead and only 2 minutes later Brian Boyle tripled it. Before the Devils could blink they found themselves down 3-0. 5 minutes into the 2nd the Devils found some solace as Alexei Ponikarovsky got them on the board, however the rest of the period would contain no new developments. The Rangers continued to keep the Devils off the board until 12 minutes into the 3rd where Dainius Zubrus scored to make it a 1 goal game. The Devils furiously pushed but Henrik Lundqvist was a brick wall in net. With a little over 2 minutes left yhe Rangers top line struck as Marty St.Louis scored off a feed from Steven Stamkos to restore the 2 goal lead, this lead was short lived though as Petr Sykora scored to put the Devils within 1. Try as they might the Devils couldn't get anything else offensive going and with 22 seconds left Ryan Callahan scored an empty netter to ice the game for the Rangers and put them up 2 in the series.

Heading into a game 3 matinee there was fear in the Devils room while confidence thrived in the Rangers room. The Rangers had been a team lead by combos this entire playoffs and in Game 3 the Steven Stamkos- Marty St.Louis combo would be the difference. St.Louis would put the Rangers up by 1 midway through the 1st. 4 minutes later Bryce Salvador was sent off for holding. The combo would strike again on the ensuing power play, Steven Stamkos would one-time a St.Louis shot passed Martin Brodeur to double the lead. After a penalty filled 2nd the Devils were able to cut the lead midway through the 3rd on an Ilya Kovalchuk goal. But it would be the Henrik Lundqvist show afterwards as the Devils couldn't find the tying goal. The Rangers took a 3-0 series lead for the 3rd consecutive time with the 2-1 win. However many experts had stated this benefited the Devils as they played their best with their backs against the wall.

Game 4 had started like most people had thought with the Devils playing their best hockey of the series. Midway through the 1st David Clarkson got the Devils on the board and the period would end with a 1-0 advantage for New Jersey. Early in the 2nd the Devils doubled the lead on an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, however less than a minute later Vladimir Tarasenko was able to get one back for the Rangers, the Rangers were able to carry the momentum throughout the rest of the period however they couldn't get another goal on the board. With the momentum squarely on their side the Rangers were hoping to have a huge 3rd period, however Dainius Zubrus gave the Devils a 2 goal lead just 39 seconds in. After this goal a timeout was called to calm the Rangers down and to kill the Devils share of the momentum. Just 4 minutes after this Ryan Callahan was able to cut the Devils lead in half scoring off a feed from Ruslan Fedotenko, and with a little over 3 minutes left Steven Stamkos tied the game shocking the Devils fans while sending the many Ranger fans in attendance into a frenzy. Nothing was settled in the remaining part of the 3rd so the game went to overtime. Early in ot the Rangers pressed and were able to get a faceoff to Martin Brodeur's right. On the ensuing play Derek Stepan won the faceoff back to Keith Yandle all signs pointed for him to shoot, however Yandle walked in faked a shot and slid it over to Ryan Callahan who put the puck home to give the Rangers the win, the series sweep and a trip to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1994. The Rangers fans in attendance were so loud when the goal went in it sounded like it should be a home game and the goal was considered to be almost as big as Stephane Matteau's winner vs the Devils in 1994. After the Devils were off the ice the Prince Of Wales Trophy was presented to Marty St.Louis. St.Louis had the team gather around it for a picture knowing the team needed 4 more wins for the ultimate goal. The Rangers would have home ice for the final and would await the winner of the LA Kings - Phoenix Coyotes series for their opponent. As for the Devils fans holding up signs saying this isn't 94, they were right as unlike 94 the Rangers dominated them this series and won in 4 straight.
 
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2012 Finals: The hockey world was a buzz as the Stanley Cup Finals match up was set. It would be the New York Rangers vs the Los Angeles Kings. Both teams matched up pretty evenly as both had all world goalies in Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick, a good defensive core that contained Ryan McDonagh and Drew Doughty respectively, and a plethora of star forwards Steven Stamkos, Marty St.Louis,Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ryan Callahan for the Rangers, while LA contained Anze Kopitar,Mike Richards,Jeff Carter, and Dustin Brown. Many experts lauded this series as 1 that would be beyond close and could go either way. Due to both teams ending their conference finals series early the series would start Memorial Day weekend in New York.

All eyes were on Madison Square Garden for Game 1 of the finals in which many people were expecting a long series. The first half of the 1st period consisted of the teams feeling each other out as neither were familiar with each other. Midway through the 1st the Rangers got on the board as Steven Stamkos potted a goal, a minute and a half later Ryan McDonagh would blast a shot past Jonathan Quick to double the lead. The Rangers would end the period up 2-0. Despite an onslaught early in the 2nd by LA, Artem Anisimov scored midway through the 2nd to put the Rangers up by 3. With a little under 2 minutes left the Rangers assault continued as Marty St.Louis put home a Stamkos rebound for goal, while Stamkos himself would pot his 2nd of the game 10 seconds later and chase Jonathan Quick from the net. Despite a whole other period to play the damage was done and when the buzzer sounded the score read Rangers 5 Kings 0. After the game Kings coach Darryl Sutter called his team out saying it was the most disgraceful performance he had ever seen, but complemented the Rangers on their speed.

Heading into Game 2 the Kings were determined to show the Rangers that they wouldn't be walked all over like Game 1 and came out playing extra physical to try and slow the speedy Rangers. Despite the physical play the Rangers weren't intimidated as Marty St.Louis put the Rangers ahead 1-0. At the end of the 1st a visibly upset Sutter was seen ripping his team and players. This tirade was proven to work as Slava Voynov tied the game 35 seconds in, after back and forth play the 2nd period ended tied at 1. Going into the 3rd the game turned into a goalie duel as Jonathan Quick redeemed himself from a poor performance in Game 1. However with a little under 7 minutes left a Dan Girardi break out pass to Vladimir Tarasenko created a 2 on 1 where Tarasenko passed it over to Artem Anisimov who scored to give the Rangers the lead. After that it was a trying 7 minutes with LA playing intensely but Henrik Lundqvist shutting the door till the final buzzer. With the 2-1 win the Rangers headed to LA up 2-0 and showing their speed style was working.

The series shifted to Los Angeles for Game 3, where the Kings were vowing to get back into it. Much like Game 2 the Kings came out hitting and trying to punish the Rangers in the last minute of the 1st period Jeff Carter scored for LA to give them their first lead in the series. The Rangers attempted to equal the Kings physicality with some of their own , especially by using their 4th line of Sean Avery, Brian Boyle, and Brandon Prust. This plan worked as midway through the 2nd they tied it on a goal by Brandon Prust. Heading into the 3rd it was anyone's game, however early in the 3rd Ruslan Fedotenko broke the tie for the Rangers. After that it was the Henrik Lundqvist show as he stone walled the Kings left and right to give the Rangers a win and their 3rd consecutive 3-0 series lead, with a chance to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 18 years the next game.

Heading into Game 4 there was a buzz and excitement surrounding the Rangers who were 1 win away from the Stanley Cup. However the LA media leaked a story before the game that showed the Rangers post game celebration options around LA and showing requests to fly home that same night out of LAX, the parade route in NY was also leaked. This development fired up the Kings as the beat up the Rangers on the ice and the scoreboard for a 3-0 win. After the game head coach Mike Sullivan was furious with the Kings physical play, the media's leaks , and his players acting as if they had already won. All of these factors would be a big story going into Game 5.

Game 5 started intensely as the Rangers came out in front of a loud Garden crowd who were hoping to see the Stanley Cup won that night. Despite LA's better play over the series it was the Rangers getting on the board first on a Carl Hagelin goal. This would be it for the 1st period. Heading into the 2nd period the rough stuff started again as the Rangers showed their physical side but no scoring occurred. As the 3rd period started the Garden was a buzz knowing that the Rangers were 20 minutes away from winning the Stanley Cup. As the 3rd played on it seemed as if the dream was coming closer to a reality, however with just over 8 minutes left Dustin Brown scored to tie it for the Kings to quiet the Garden crowd. The rest of the 8 minutes were played as LA having the advantage, but Henrik Lundqvist turned them aside as the game went to to sudden death overtime. As the 1st ot started both teams traded chances, with a little over 4 minutes left Drew Doughty took a double minor for boarding but the Rangers couldn't convert despite Ryan Callahan missing a wide open net. As the Kings killed off the double minor the 1st ot ended. As the 2nd ot started Anton Stralman wound up in the box for a cross check but the Rangers killed it off.The rest of the ot was an even affair until a play occured with a little over 2 minutes remaining. I turn you over to Doc Emrick for this one, "Anisimov into the LA zone with some authority, slides over to Kreider, Kreider fakes drops to McDonagh shoots THEY SCOREEEEEEEE THEY SCOREEEEE RYAN MCDONAGH IN OVERTIME THE 2012 STANLEY CUP TO THE NEW YORK RANGERS". After looking at the highlights again Ryan McDonagh's shot was shown to deflect off LA defenseman Alec Martinez. The goal sent the Garden into a frenzy as the Rangers poured off the bench to celebrate their victory. For the first time in 18 years the NEW YORK RANGERS were the Stanley Cup Champions. As the handshake lines cleared and the LA Kings left the ice Gary Bettman came out to present the Conn Smythe trophy, there was much debate over who would win it as the Rangers had 6 worthy candidates(Stamkos,St.Louis,Tarasenko,Callahan,McDonagh and Lundqvist), but in the end Steven Stamkos won the award as he lead the playoffs in goals,assist and points. The Stanley Cup was then awarded to Marty St.Louis who passed to Steven Stamkos and then Henrik Lundqvist the 2 cornerstones of the team.
 
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2012 Offseason: On that early Tuesday morning in June the dream became a reality. The New York Rangers were Stanley Cup Champions for the first time in 18 years. As the celebrations exited the ice and made their way into the locker room and onto the city streets a panel of hockey experts gathered on tv in an empty Madison Square Garden. One of the biggest questions that arose was, "Was this more significant than 94?". An overwhelming no was the main answer. While 94 was humongous as it broke the curse, that team was built to win now while this team was young and was just entering their prime. The experts stated that this team would be back and could very well win another cup possibly more.

To cap off the dream season many Rangers were up for NHL awards. Valdimir Tarasenko won the Calder Trophy, Henrik Lundqvist took home the Vezina trophy, along with the Ted Lindsay award, while Steven Stamkos took home the Rocket Richard trophy along with the already won Conn Smythe award. When it came time to award the Hart Trophy for mvp an NHL first occured as their was a tie in votes. For the first time in NHL history the Hart trophy was awarded to co-mvps' those co-mvps' Steven Stamkos and Henrik Lundqvist.

As the NHL draft arrived the Rangers chose Brady Skej with their first round pick. As free agency arrived the Rangers decided the let Brandon Prust,John Mitchell, and Ruslan Fedotenko walk. To replace this depth they signed Taylor Pyatt, Aron Asham, and Jeff Halpern. As the summer went on Sean Avery announced his retirement from hockey deciding to go out a winner despite being young. Even though the team experienced many depth changes experts pegged them to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. Despite all the hoopla everything was put to a stop as just like in 1994 the owners locked out the players.
 
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2013 Season: After the owner imposed lockout took place in October of 2012 all NHL rinks remained dark on opening night in October. As October turned into November no end seemed in sight, as a result some players went to Europe to play, others played in the minors, while others stayed home. This also resulted in the NHL's Winter Classic and All Star game to be canceled. As December rolled around it looked as if there would be no end in sight for the lockout as the sides seemed no closer to a deal over the Christmas holiday. However in the wee hours of January 6 a deal was reached by both sides and the NHL scheduled a shortened 48 game season from starting in late January. This caused a sigh of relief for many fans.

As for the New York Rangers, the players reported to the 1 week training camp in varying degrees of shape. Despite the lost half season they were still picked to be cup favorites by an overwhelming amount of experts. The cup defense began on January 19 in Boston however the team lost 3-1, on the very next night they returned to NY for thier home opener and to raise the Stanley Cup banner. After all of the celebrations of 2012 had ended that night the Rangers looked like they had left their game in 2012 as the Pittsburgh Penguins thrashed them 6-3. Despite the panic surrounding the team Mike Sullivan remained calm. The calm demeanor worked as the Rangers reeled off 4 straight wins following this, however by early February the team was back at .500. The main reason for this was the depth problems. By losing Avery and Fedotenko in the off season the depth players they signed were not as good. Also renewed hope in Brian Boyle and the hope for Chris Kreider to continue where he left off the previous season also weren't panning out. Despite GM Glen Sather working the phones like crazy for a trade no other clubs would bite. Sather then took his search overseas and on February 6 it was announced that Mats Zuccarello was resigned by the club.

The Zuccarello signing gave the team 3rd line depth and as a result the team went 8-1-1 over their next 10 and moved into 1st place in the Atlantic Division. The winning continued into March, and April. During this time Captain Marty St.Louis moved into the lead in the scoring race with Steven Stamkos right behind him. As the season went into the last weekend the Rangers found themselves needing 2 points to clinch the division on the last day, however if they lost in regulation the Pittsburgh Penguins could pass them. The Rangers took care of business with a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. This win clinched them the division and home ice in the Eastern Conference with a record of 35-10-3 for 73 pts. Unfortunately a 2nd straight Presidents Trophy wasn't to be as the Chicago Blackhawks had a monster season and were looking to end their soon to be 52 year Stanley Cup drought. The season also ended on a high note as Marty St.Louis led the league in scoring at age 37, an unprecedented feat. Despite the amazing season in Chicago, the Rangers went into the playoffs as favorites to repeat.
 
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Note: These next few parts I used what if sports to sim but I lost the exact results and due to this these next few parts will be smaller in length as I'm going off memory.

2013 Playoffs: As the playoffs started the New York Rangers came in as favorites to repeat, while the Chicago Blackhawks were favored out west. Fans and the league alike were hoping for a dream Rangers - Blackhawks final. Heading into Round 1 the Rangers drew their arch rivals the New York Islanders, in the regular season the Rangers took all 4 meetings from the Isles, however the playoffs were a different beast. Most people were hoping for a tight series and the rivalry between Steven Stamkos and John Tavares was about to come full circle. Despite the playoff and tighter hockey philosophy the Rangers took care of business sweeping their rivals in 4 straight echoing comparisons of their last playoff meeting in 1994. With the sweep the Rangers took the last 3 series in a row in which they played the Islanders, and extended their playoff win streak to 9 straight vs the Isles.

Going into Round 2 the Rangers drew a rematch with the Ottawa Senators. The Sens were looked at as a dark-horse / spoiler as they upset the Montreal Canadiens in Round 1. The series between these 2 teams was tight the previous year and many experts were predicting much of the same, however it was the total opposite as the Rangers stormed out to a 3-0 series lead and extended their playoff win streak to 8 in a row including Game 5 of the 2012 finals. Remarkably this was also the 6th straight series where they had a 3-0 lead. Going into Game 4 many fans were hoping for a 2nd straight sweep however it wasn't to be as just like 2012 Ottawa got themselves back into the series. Going into Game 5 at Madison Square Garden there was hope in the Senators room as they hoped to get themselves back to Ottawa for a Game 6, however it wasn't to be as the Rangers ended the series in 5 to advance to their 3rd straight conference final. In the previous year experts and some unruly New Jersey Devils fans stated this wasn't 94 for some obvious and other not so obvious reasons. This time around the comparisons to 94 were almost spot on as just like 94 the Rangers swept the Islanders in Round 1, and went up 3-0 in Round 2 to end it in 5.

As the Eastern Conference Finals arrived it would be a rematch of 2011 as the New York Rangers took on the Boston Bruins. The Bruins were looking like a contender in these playoffs as they swept a stacked Pittsburgh team in round 1, and knocked out Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in Round 2. Although many expected a tighter series the Rangers stormed out of the gate winning the first two games at Madison Square Garden to go up 2-0 for the 7th consecutive series. However the tides would turn in Boston as the Bruins took the next 2 at home. Heading back to Madison Square Garden the Rangers played on their heels in Game 5 and Boston took full advantage of it to go up 3-2 in the series. In Game 6 the Rangers did a full 180 and played like they had over most of the playoffs, despite this the Bruins forced ot late and won it on a Patrice Bergeron goal to send them to the finals. Just like in the OTL the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins in 6 to win the Stanley Cup, the only difference being the Hawks ended a 52 year cup drought in this timeline.
 
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2013 Offseason: As the off season started GM Glen Sather's main goal was to win back the Stanley Cup. Like previous years the goal was to draft well and work on depth. At the NHL awards it was the Marty St.Louis show as he took home the Art Ross and Lady Byng Trophies. At the draft Morgan Klimchuk was selected in Round 1 by the Rangers. Post Draft Glen Sather announced that Steve Eminger would not be returning, and right after that a deal was made sending him to Columbus for Derek Dorsett and John Moore. Mike Rupp was also traded to Minnesota for future considerations, and Dominic Moore was signed to center the 4th line. Despite these moves the Rangers were projected to take a step back by the experts as they did nothing to really improve.

2013-14 Season: The New York Rangers stumbled out of the gate to start the season going 1-4 over their first 5 and 5-7 through October. Despite a somewhat better November Steven Stamkos went down with a broken leg, and the team found itself struggling through December and as a result out of the playoffs. It had gotten so bad that back up goalie Martin Biron announced his retirement, and despite Marty St.Louis having an amazing season again the team looked like a far cry from the Stanley Cup Champions of 2 years prior. As 2013 turned into 2014 the team all of a sudden went on a tear going 10-4-1 in January, which included 2 wins at Yankee Stadium over their hated rivals the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. This fortune continued through February and into the Olympic Break in which the Rangers sent a whopping 9 players.

As the team returned from the Olympics the trade rumors began to surround them, as Ryan Callahan,Dan Girardi, and Brian Boyle would be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Originally Sather had every intent to keep them however after 2 straight losses to Philadelphia and Boston to begin March Sather was working the phones. On March 3 Girardi was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Sami Vatanen, 1 day afrter at the deadline Sather was able to pull off a steal as he traded Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Marian Gaborik. Although the loss of toughness and leadership was questioned the experts lauded Sather for his trades, with both alternate captains gone the available As were given to Steven Stamkos and Ryan McDonagh. With Vatanen on the 1st pair and Gaborik only being asked to score goals, along with Stamkos returning from injury the Rangers looked like a revamped bunch as they went 8-4-1 over the rest of March. The team went 3-1-2 in April and finished with a record of 46-30-6 98 points good enough for 2nd in the new Metropolitan Division and for home ice in Round 1. Although the team wasn't favored to win the cup they were definitely considered a contender.

2014 Playoffs: As the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs opened the Rangers drew the hated Philadelphia Flyers in the 1st round. It would be speed vs size in this series and through out the first 3 games size prevailed as the Flyers pushed the Rangers to the brink of elimination. After Game 3 many fans and experts were calling for Mike Sullivan's head and were ripping Sather apart for his deadline moves that took size and grit away. This anger propelled the Rangers to Game 4 win, and on home ice for Game 5 their fans willed them to another win to get back into the series. A back and forth affair in Game 6 saw the Rangers squeeze a 3rd straight win out, and the momentum carried them to a Game 7 victory. This was the first time since 1943 that a team came back to win a series after being down 0-3.

In the Metropolitan Division finals the Rangers took on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although the Pens were favored the Rangers took the first 2 games in Pitt to go up 2-0. However back in NY at Madison Square Garden the wheels fell off and Pittsburgh won 2 straight found themselves with the momentum heading back home for Game 5. However before Game 5 tragedy struck as Marty St.Louis mother passed away suddenly. Despite the sombering mood around the dressing room the Rangers won a tight Game 5 to regain the lead and then clinched the series in Game 6 at home on Mothers Day to go back to the Eastern Conference Finals for the 4th straight year.

In the Eastern Conference Finals the Rangers found themselves on the road again as they took on the Montreal Canadiens. After attending St.Louis's Mother's funeral the day before the Rangers came out and won Game 1, despite being up 1-0 and riding an emotional high the Habs were able to tie the series at 1 heading back to NY. Back in New York with their fans on their side the Rangers swept both games at the Garden to go up 3-1. Heading back to Montreal the Rangers took care of business and won Game 5 to head back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the 2nd time in 3 years. Despite the being back in, the experts predicted that this team was much worse than the team from 2 years prior as the 2 teams playing in the western final, Chicago and San Jose were considered much better.

It would be a dream Stanley Cup Final for NBC and the NHL as for the 2nd year in a row it would be an Original 6 match-up as the New York Rangers would take on the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks would be looking to win their 2nd cup in a row and silence critics who said their drought breaking cup the prior year was bs because they only played a shortened season. The Rangers were looking to win their 2nd cup in 3 years, and also were looking to silence the critics who said their best days had passed them by. The Blackhawks were considered the favorites in the series despite the Rangers containing a deep lineup and an all world goalie in Henrik Lundqvist.

The Rangers would be the team in Game 1 as they surprised the Hawks and their crowd with a win, however in Game 2 the Hawks responded to tie the series. Heading back to NY 2 tight contests were expected, however Chicago won both contests easily at the Garden to go home with a chance to win their 2nd straight cup. Game 5 in Chicago was expected to be a party as the United Center was a sea of red. However on this night it wasn't to be as the Rangers stole Game 5 to send the series back to Game 6 in NY. With the momentum squarely on their side the Rangers took the lead early in Game 6 in front of a loud MSG crowd, however the Hawks tied it midway through the 2nd. With just little over 3 minutes to play a Patrick Sharp shot squeezed through Henrik Lundqvist to give the Hawks the lead. Despite a furious onslaught by the Rangers it wasn't enough as the buzzer sounded and the Chicago Blackhawks won their 2nd straight Stanley Cup on Garden ice. The Blackhawks became the first team in 16 years to repeat as champions and the first away team to win on Garden ice since 1972. Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Hawks paraded the cup around in front of a nearly empty Madison Square Garden.

This will be the last of the brief posts.
 
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2014 Offseason: The New York Rangers ended 2014 a different team than the 1 that began it. Despite making it back to the Stanley Cup Finals the Rangers were regarded by experts as a team that had seen better days. After watching the finals Glen Sather and Mike Sullivan both agreed that the depth on the 3rd and 4th lines needed to get younger and faster. In the draft the Rangers drafted Josh Ho-Sang in the first round, and upon free agency arriving the Rangers stole NCAA free agent Kevin Hayes out of the Chicago Blackhawks grasps along with signing forward Lee Stempniak to provide 4th line depth. Another development that looked great was the fact that QMJHL prospect Anthony Duclair looked to be NHL ready. This all boded well for the Rangers however in the beginning of training camp Derek Stepan broke his fibula and would be out 4-6 weeks. This left a void at the 3rd line center spot in which captain Marty St.Louis would fill. This would also mean an increase in ice time for Marian Gaborik and a bigger chance for young rookies Kevin Hayes,Anthony Duclair, and Jesper Fast. Despite Duclair dazzling in training camp he was returned to his team in the Q. As training camp ended the Rangers came into 2014-15 as a team filled with uncertainty.
 
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2014-15 Season: The New York Rangers entered the 2014-15 season as as an injured misplaced team. Despite winning their first game the team found themselves 1-3 to open and played close to .500 hockey throughout most of the month. The main problem they were facing were injuries due to third line center Derek Stepan being out. Early in the season Marty St.Louis filled the role but this crippled the teams first line as Marian Gaborik and struggling Mats Zuccarello were used as the right wing for Steven Stamkos. This crippled the 3rd and 4th lines and the teams depth was struggling. As the substandard hockey continued into November, fans started calling for Mike Sullivan's head and even suggested trading captain Marty St.Louis, and some of the teams stars in Steven Stamkos,Vladimir Tarasenko, and Henrik Lundqvist. Despite winning the cup 3 years prior and making another finals appearance the previous year fans worried aloud that this would be a repeat of the 90's in which the team kept trying to win again but coming up short and crippling the teams farm system and draft picks. Despite the concerns the return of Derek Stepan in November stabilized the team and their fortunes started to look better. Despite this they were still a bubble team.

As December started the team lost 2 straight to start the month which had the naysayers out in full force again. However after this the team went on a tear winning 8 straight games, despite a loss to end the streak the team reeled off a 5 game winning streak afterwards. During this time the team was 100% healthy with this roster for the first time in a long time. The team found themselves in the thick of the playoff race and experts were wondering aloud could a repeat final happen vs the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite a small hiccup in January that saw them have 2 small 2 game losing streaks the team re-caught fire in February despite an injury to Henrik Lundqvist and began to challenge their arch rivals the New York Islanders for 1st place in the division. The Rangers went into Long Island on February 16 to play the Islanders and saw them walk out winners and in 1st pace by virtue of less games played. The see saw battle continued with the Islanders over the next 2 weeks until the Rangers finally took sole possession of 1st after a March 2 win vs Nashville. The team remained in 1st the rest of the month and was also challenging for the top spot in the entire league, during this time Lundqvist returned from injury and picked up where he left off. On April 2 the Rangers clinched the division with a win over the Minnesota Wild, this was their 1st Metropolitan Division title and their 3rd division title of any kind over the last 4 years. 4 days later with a win at home vs Columbus the Rangers tied their team record with their 53rd win and clinched their 2nd Presidents Trophy in 4 years. The team would finish the season 55-22-5 with 115 points, a new team record in the win and the point column for the team. As the season ended the Rangers were once again Stanley Cup favorites and many fans and experts alike were hoping for a Rangers- Blackhawks part 2.
 
2015 Division Semifinals: The New York Rangers headed into the playoffs as one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup. Awaiting them in Round 1 would be a familiar rival in the Pittsburgh Penguins. This would be the 2nd meeting in a row between the 2, and the 3rd meeting in the last 5 years. The Penguins snuck into the playoffs on the season's final day and despite being a top team over the last few seasons this year they had been underwhelming. Eventhough they were the 2nd wild card seed Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin still made them a formidable opponent.

Game 1 took place at a loud Madison Square Garden with the Ranger fans thinking about a Stanley Cup. However 8 minutes in the Penguins silenced the crowd on an Evgeni Malkin goal. 3 minutes later Chris Kunitz doubled the lead and the Pens went into the locker room up by 2. Into the 2nd the Pens looked to have the momentum, however the Rangers cut the lead in half on a Marian Gaborik goal, Gaborik would strike again to tie the game with a little over 3 minutes left in the 2nd, and the teams went to the 3rd tied. Despite an early penalty to Pittsburgh the 3rd period was quiet and the game headed to sudden death ot. Despite back and forth chances nothing got settled in the 1st ot period and the game headed to double ot. Midway through the double ot period Lee Stempniak found Sami Vatanen at the point who then passed the puck to rookie Kevin Hayes who scored the game winner and his first career playoff goal in ot.

Heading into Game 2 both teams realized this series was still up for grabs despite the Rangers being up. Early in the game the Pens went up by 1 on a Chris Kunitz goal,the goal deflated the Garden crowd and the Pens hoped it would deflate the Rangers as well. This rang true for the 1st period, however early in the 2nd Keith Yandle evened the game for the Rangers. After playing a mostly even 2nd Mark Arcobello restored the Pittsburgh lead late in the period. This lead was short lived however as Carl Hagelin tied the game 37 seconds into the 3rd. With just under 4 minutes left Derek Stepan gave the Rangers their first lead of the night and that would be all she wrote as the Rangers walked out of MSG with a 2-0 series lead.

The Rangers headed into Pittsburgh up 2 , however the Penguins had every intention of using the home ice to get back into the series. The Pens came out flying in Game 3 , however they couldn't solve Henrik Lundqvist early on. Despite throwing a barrage of shots at the all world goalie the Pens couldn't convert. However with 17 seconds left the Pens were able to finally get on the board on a Mark Arcobello goal. After a scoreless 2nd period in which they controlled the play the Pens were finally looking like they could get back into this series. Early in the 3rd the game remained all Pens, however Mats Zuccarello was able to tie the game with his 1st goal of the playoffs. 20 seconds after Zuccs goal the Penguins found themselves shorthanded on a Craig Adams holding call. 30 seconds after the call the Rangers took the lead ion a Marty St.Louis power play goal. The Rangers looked to be in control and the shocked crowd in Pittsburgh had no answer. However just midway through the 3rd Evgeni Malkin tied the game and the Pittsburgh crowd was back into it. Despite this Anton Stralman broke the tie and the Rangers regained the lead just 3 minutes later. Despite another furious onslaught by the Pens the Rangers walked out of game 3 up by 3 in the series.

Heading into Game 4 the Rangers had a chance to sweep the Pens, while the Pens were going to try to do everything they could to extend the series. For the 4th consecutive game the Pens took alead and this lead was taken early as David Perron scored 5 seconds in. Midway through the 1st Blake Comeau would double the Pens lead. Going into the 2nd the Pens had a large amount of confidence. However the Rangers tried to get back in the game. Halfway through the 2nd they finally got on the board as Steven Stamkos potted his first of the playoffs, and 7 minutes later Keith Yandle tied the game for the Rangers. The rest of the 2nd was an even affair and both teams headed into the 3rd with something to prove. Midway through the 3rd Blake Comeau scored to put the Pens up by1 and it looked as if the series would head back to NY for a Game 5. However with just over 5 minutes left Derek Stepan tied the game once again off a Marian Gaborik rebound. Despite both teams pressing the 3rd period ended and went to sudden death ot for the 2nd time this series. Despite back and forth action nothing was settled in the 1st ot, heading into double ot both teams were tired. 3 minute in the Pens wound up botching a breakout, the breakout pass was kept in by John Moore, Moore slid the puck over to Anton Stralman, Stralman then found a streaking Marty St.Louis going down the right side, St. Louis picked up the pass and potted the puck passed Marc Andre Fleury into the top corner for the game winner and series winner. The Rangers had swept the Penguins 4-0, and waited the winner of the Washington - NY Islanders series
 
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2015 Division Finals: Heading into round 2 the Rangers would find themselves matched up with a familiar foe in the Washington Capitals who had knocked off the New York Islanders in 7. Despite the teams meeting numerous times earlier in the decade they had not faced off in the playoffs in 3 years. After missing the playoffs in 2014 the Caps were eager to show that they were still contenders and wanted to recapture their glory of 2010, while the Rangers had their mind on that same glory they had in 2012. Many experts were predicting a close series that would go 6-7 games.

Game 1 started out as both teams tried to go for the jugular. Despite not meeting in the playoffs for 3 years there was no love lost between the 2 sides. With a little under 7 minutes to go in the 1st period Marian Gaborik gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead, however a minute later Jason Chimera tied the game for DC, 3 minutes after this Alex Ovechkin gave the Caps the lead 2-1, and that would be it for the 1st period. The 2nd was much like the 1st in terms of intensity and early on Mike Sauer tied the game. Just 3 minutes later Chris Kreider gave the Rangers the lead off an Artem Anisimov rebound. The rest of the period would see both teams get chances, however there would be no more scoring and the Rangers would head into the 3rd up 3-2. Early on in the 3rd Chris Kreider would extend the lead to 4-2 and the Rangers looked to be in control. However just 8 minutes later Marcus Johansson scored for the Caps to put them within 1. The Caps kept pressing but could not solve Henrik Lundqvist, with a minute left Washington pulled Braden Holtby and after constant pressure by being up a man Troy Brouwer tied the game to shock the Garden crowd. The rest of the 30 seconds played out quietly and the game went to overtime, after a scoreless 1st ot, Marcus Johansson would strike again for the Caps in double ot and give the Caps a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 would be a matinee at Madison Square Garden and much of the back and forth action in Game 1 was expected again. Despite the action being that way the game became a goalie duel between Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby. The Rangers got on the board midway through the 1st when Dominic Moore scored off his own rebound. The game would remain this way until late in the 2nd when Jay Beagle tied it. Despite a back and forth 3rd period nothing was settled and the game went to ot. The goalie duel continued into the 1st ot alas nothing came of it. For the 2nd straight game double overtime was required. With just a little under 3 minutes played in double ot Troy Brouwer would pot the winner to give the Caps the 2-0 series lead and send a shocked Rangers fan base home.

Game 3 was played in front of a loud and red Verizon Center. The Caps fans knew that their team was up 2-0 and knew that they had the potential to really do some damage if they won Game 3. The 1st period was seen as utter domination by the Caps however Henrik Lundqvist kept the Rangers in it with save after save. With just under a minute left Lundqvist made a save on a Brooks Orpik shot however the rebound was kicked out to Eric Fehr who put it home to give the Caps the lead and send the Verizion Center into a frenzy. The 2nd period was much like the 1st and the Caps held onto a 1-0 lead. It seemed as if the Rangers were now headed for an early summer, earlier than many of the previous ones. Despite this they still had 20 more minutes to play this game however the Caps seemed in control. The 3rd period started with more Washington domination. However with just under 7 minutes left Carl Hagelin scored off a feed from Steven Stamkos. This goal gave the Rangers life and brought the Caps back down to earth somewhat. The rest of the 3rd period was an even match up as Lundqvist and Holtby turned away shots at both ends, and as a result overtime would be required for the 3rd straight game. Unlike the previous 2 games this game would not go deep into ot as Marty St.Louis would score the ot winner just 16 seconds in to get the Rangers back into the series.

Game 4 would be a pivotal turning pint in this series, if DC won they'd be up 3-1, but a Ranger win would tie the series up. Early on the Verizion Center was rocking just lie the previous game however the play was even. With just under 2 minutes left Marian Gaborik got the Rangers on the board first when he put in Sami Vatanen's rebound. The rest of the 1st was quiet, however 4 minutes into the 2nd Mats Zuccarello would double the Ranger lead and quiet the packed Verizon Center. The caps would get back into the game though as Nicklas Backstrom would cut the lead in half midway through the 2nd, however the rest of the period would remain the same score of 2-1 Rangers. Despite a furious onslaught by Washington in the 3rd they could not solve Henrik Lundqvist. The Caps then hoped the same strategy as Game 1 would work by pulling Holtby however the same result didn't occur and Marty St.Louis potted an insurance goal to ice the game for the Rangers and tie the series at 2.

Before Game 5 at Madison Square Garden Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan made a somewhat shocking statement. Despite the series being tied Sullivan called out his 2 best players Steven Stamkos and Vladimir Tarasenko. He stated that they weren't getting nearly enough out of either and the team couldn't keep relying on Marty St.Louis, its 3rd line (Zuccarello-Stepan-Gaborik), and Henrik Lundqvist to win them games. Sullivan stated this had been an ongoing problem the entire playoffs and hoped this would wake them up. Game 5 started in front of a raucous Garden crowd who had renewed hope after the past 2 games. Despite this Washington also came out intense hoping to regain the series lead. The 1st period was played intense and physical by both sides. Midway through the period Chris Kreider put the Rangers up 1-0 and less than 1 minute later Mats Zuccarello doubled the lead. The game remained 2-0 Rangers for the rest of the 1st and 2nd despite them taking many penalties. Early in the 3rd the Rangers again found themselves shorthanded but their penalty killing prevailed once again. Despite the Caps pressing throughout the 3rd, Henrik Lundqvist would turn shot after shot aside. After inadvertently icing the puck the Caps found themselves deep in their zone with less than a minute to play. A breakout pass out of their zone was picked off by Keith Yandle who hit Steven Stamkos with a cross ice pass, Stamkos converted the pass to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead with 4 seconds left. The 3-0 lead would be the result and the Rangers would take a 3-2 series lead with a chance to win the series in Game 6.

As Game 6 began both teams realized the importance of it. Early on it was all Caps as they went up 2-0 on goals by Nicklas Backstrom and Troy Brouwer. The Rangers tried to muster up some energy but couldn't. As the 2nd started the Rangers finally looked like they were in the game however Braden Holtby could not be solved. Midway through the 2nd Anton Stralman took a high sticking penalty, and Troy Brouwer scored on the power play to put the Caps up by 3. The 3rd period would see no changes and the Caps walked out of Game 6 as winners and with the momentum. This would force a winner take all Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

Prior to Game 7 Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin took a page out of Ranger legend Mark Messier's book and predicted a win for the Caps in Game 7. The odds were stacked against him however as the Rangers had never lost a Game 7 at home. Despite this the Caps outplayed the Rangers in Game 6 and looked to carry this play into Game 7. As Game 7 started the momentum disappeared. Just 29 seconds into the game Marty St.Louis put the Rangers ahead off a Carl Hagelin pass. Despite the Caps trying to get some energy back, Vladimir Tarasenko (who was openly criticized by his coach) doubled the lead midway through the period. With just under a minute left the ever reliable Stamkos-St.Louis combo struck again as Steven Stamkos gave the Rangers a 3-0 lead to end the period with. The Caps looked shellshocked and despite Ovechkin trying to rally the troops his counterpart on the Rangers Steven Stamkos put the Rangers up by 4 late in the 2nd. Ovechkin would eventually get the Caps on the board with a late power-play goal in the 2nd but it wouldn't be enough. The 3rd period belonged to Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers d as the Caps could only muster 6 shots on goal. As the buzzer sounded the Rangers won by a score of 4-1 and won the series in 7, they would advance to their 5th straight conference final where they would meet the Montreal Canadiens for the 2nd straight year.
 
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2015 Conference Finals: For the 2nd straight year it would be the New York Rangers vs the Montreal Canadiens for the right to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Unlike last year the Rangers had home ice, however many experts were saying the Habs were playing with a chip on their shoulder and some even favored them to win the series.

Game 1 was another Saturday matinee at Madison Square Garden. Like the previous series there was no love lost between the 2 sides. Steven Stamkos got the Rangers on the board 2 minutes in. 4 minutes later Vladimir Tarasenko doubled the lead and the Rangers headed into the locker room up 2-0. Despite some life by Montreal in the 2nd Henrik Lundqvist was again a force to be reckoned with between the pipes, and midway through the 2nd Mike Sauer tripled the lead. Heading into the 3rd up 3-0 Chris Kreider was able to put the Rangers up by 4 just 29 seconds in. That would be all she wroye for this one as Henrik Lundqvist turned away shot after shot and the Rangers walked out 4-0 winners for a 1-0 series lead. After openly criticizing Vladimir Tarasenko in the previous series head coach Mike Sullivan had nothing but praise for him saying he took control of the game and made it his. Tarasenko wound up with a goal and 2 assists.

Heading into Game 2 the Rangers looked to dominate again. However unlike Game 1 the Habs had come to play this time. In what was a back and forth 1st period Brendan Gallagher got the Habs on the board late in the 1st. Through out the 2nd it was the Carey Price show as the Rangers could not solve Montreal's answer to Henrik Lundqvist. Heading into the 3rd frustration got the best of the Rangers as they wound up penalized twice however Lundqvist again kept them in it. Despite peppering Price with shot after shot, the Rangers could not put 1 by Montreal's elite net minder and the Habs walked out with a 1-0 win and the series was tied going back to Montreal.

Game 3 began in front of a loud Bell Centre crowd. The 1st period turned into a goalie duel between Lundqvist and Price who had each traded shutouts over the 1st 2 games. After a scoreless 1st, Marian Gaborik put the Rangers on the board a little over a minute into the period. 5 minutes later Vladimir Tarasenko who was experiencing a resurgence doubled the lead. The Rangers would end the 2nd up 2-0 and firmly in control. The domination continued into the 3rd as the Rangers held Montreal without a shot early on. Just 6 minutes in Steven Stamkos would give the Rangers a 3-0 lead as he and Tarasenko seemed to be responding to Mike Sullivan's call to play better. However despite being being up 3-0 the Habs were able to get on the board on a Jiri Sekac goal with about 6 minutes remaining. After this the Habs dominated the play and were looking to add another. With just over a minute left Dale Weise scored for the Habs to get them within 1. This led them to pull Carey Price for an extra attacker however Henrik Lundqvist turned them away once again to give the Rangers the win and series lead.

In what had been a series that had seen every game play out differently Game 4 would be no different. The Rangers came in knowing they could take a stranglehold on the series with a win while the Habs knew they had a chance to tie it and gain momentum heading back to New York. Early on in the 1st period Steven Stamkos put the Rangers up by 1, and 3 minutes later he would double the Ranger lead. However just 1 minute after taking the 2-0 lead Montreal got on the board and started to get some momentum back. For the next 10 minutes it was all Habs and with at little under 5 minutes remaining they tied it on a Jacob De La Rose goal. For the rest of the period it looked as if the Habs would take control. With less than 15 seconds left the Rangers found themselves deep in the Habs zone Chris Kreider was able to feed Keith Yandle at the point with a cross ice pass, Yandle then feed a streaking Vladimir Tarasenko who scored the go ahead goal with 9 seconds left and shocked the Montreal crowd. In the 2nd the Rangers looked to build on the momentum and just a little over 3 minute in Steven Stamkos was able to regain the 2 goal lead with his 3rd goal of the game and his 1st playoff hat trick. 6 minutes later Vladimir Tarsenko potted his 2nd goal and the Rangers had a comfortable 5-2 lead. Tarsenko's goal would chase Carey Price from the net. Price being chased would give the Habs some energy as Tomas Plekanec would bring the Habs back within 2 midway through he 3rd, however Mike Sauer would score with under 30 seconds left to put the Rangers up 6-3. This score would hold and the Rangers would head back to NY up 3-1 after the game. Afterwards many experts lauded the series as the Stamkos and Tarsenko show so far as both players had been scoring at will since their coach had called them out.

Heading into Game 5 the Rangers had a chance to head back to the Stanley Cup Finals with a win. The Rangers started out as the hungrier of both teams in front of a loud Madison Square Garden crowd. Halfway through the 1st they got on the board off an Artem Anisimov goal. This lead would hold into the 2nd period, however in this period it was Montreal looking like the better team. Just 47 seconds in Andrei Markov tied the game. 3 minutes later the Rangers found themselves shorthanded on a John Moore cross check. The Habs would take the 2-1 lead on a power play goal by Tomas Plekanec. This would quiet the crowd but the Rangers would still find ways to get back in it. Despite various opportunities they couldn't solve Carey Price. To start the 3rd the Rangers hoped they could find the momentum they had at the end of the 2nd, however a Max Pacioretty goal would take the wind out of their sails just 33 seconds in. Midway through the 3rd Alex Galchenyuk would extend the lead to 4-1 for the Habs and get them 1 game away from tying the series.

The Bell Centre was a mad house for Game 6 as the Habs fans knew they had the momentum and a chance to send the series back to New York for a Game 7. The 1st period was dominated by the Habs for at time, but the Rangers finally found their legs and started answering back. Despite this back and forth action the score was 0-0 heading into the 2nd period. The back and forth hockey continued into the 2nd, but just 4 minutes in Vladimir Tarasenko put in Artem Anisimov's rebound to give the Rangers the lead. Despite this the Habs and the crowd still remained in the game. Midway through the 3rd the Habs were able to tie the game on a Jiri Sekac goal. Just a minute later Mike Sauer took a holding penalty and it looked as if the Habs would take control however the Rangers pk unit killed it off. The period would end 1-1. Heading into the 3rd it was more back and forth action, with 8 minutes left Marian Gaborik hit Derek Stepan with a pass that Stepan put home to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. After this it was the Henrik Lundqvist show as he turned shot after shot aside. Despite a furious onslaught the game ended 2-1 Rangers, the Rangers had won the series in 6 and were heading back to their 2nd straight Stanley Cup Final and 3rd in 4 years. Marty St.Louis received the Prince Of Wales Trophy in front of the Montreal crowd for the 2nd straight year, and like 2012 and 2014 the team took a picture in front of it. The Rangers awaited the winner of the Chicago Blackhawks - Anaheim Ducks series to determine who they would play in the 2015 Stanley Cup final.
 
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2015 Stanley Cup Finals:For the 2nd straight year it would be the first city vs the second city, thin crust vs deep dish, blue vs red, it would be the New York Rangers vs the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup. Unlike the previous year the Rangers had the home ice advantage and a chip on their shoulder to win their 2nd cup in 4 years. On the Blackhawks side they had a chance to win their 3rd straight cup, some thing no team had done since the 80s. Despite these factors and their regular season series split the Rangers were looked on as favorites, however many experts were predicting a long series going at least 6 games.

Game 1 started in front of a loud raucous Madison Square Garden. Early on rookie Kevin Hayes opened the scoring to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead,however just 4 minutes later former Ranger and crowd whipping boy Michal Rosival tied the game at 1. The rest of the 1st and beginning of the 2nd would contain back and forth action but no scoring. Halfway through the 2nd Vladimir Tarasenko would put the Rangers up by 1, however this lead would be short lived as Bryan Bickell would tie the game 30 seconds later. The rest of the period would see more back and forth action, however with just a little over 3 minutes left Keith Yandle would send a routine breakout pass to Vladimir Tarasenko, who slid it over to Chris Kreider to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead heading into the 3rd. As the 3rd began the Rangers looked to be in control, however this would disappear as Marian Hossa tied the game early on. With just under 7 minutes left Brandon Saad would put the Hawks up for the 1st time all night and despite a few onslaughts by the Rangers it would not be enough as the Hawks walked out 4-3 winners and went up 1-0 in the series. Many experts praised the game for its back and forth action, and many Hawks fans were already talking 3 peat.

If Game 1 was a back and forth affair Game 2 was the opposite. This game would go down as 1 of the best goalie duels of all time between Henrik Lundqvist and Corey Crawford. The 1st and 2nd period contained timely saves on both ends of the ice as both teams traded chances. Early in the 3rd Mike Sauer was sent off for roughing giving the Hawks a 2 minute power play and a chance to go up 1-0 late. Despite constant pressure from their top players Henrik Lundqvist thwarted them left and right, and the Rangers killed it off. The goalie duel remained throughout the period and nothing was settled as the game would require ot. Early on in overtime Henrik Lundqvist thwarted more Chicago opprotunites in the 1st minute, however the Rangers were able to get shot after shot on Corey Crawford later on where he was equally as brilliant. Despite this back and forth action the ot was only 2 minutes old. With just over 17 minutes to go Steven Stamkos was able to intercept a Chicago breakout pass. Stamkos fired the shot on Crawford who kicked the rebound out to the waiting stick of Carl Hagelin who scored the ot winner to tie the series at 1.

The series shifted to Chicago for Game 3 tied at 1. Heading into the United Center with the split the Blackhawks knew they could take control by winning both games, however the Rangers were riding the momentum of their Game 2 win. Early on the goalie duel of Game 2 continued on, however Rookie Kevin Hayes was able to slide a puck back to Keith Yandle who passed over to Mike Sauer which gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Despite the lead the Rangers found themselves in the box throught the rest of the 1st, but the Hawks had no answer for Henrik Lundqvist either time. The Lundqvist-Crawford duel would continue into the 2nd, and throughout most of the period, however with just over 30 seconds left Artem Anisimov found a streaking Vladimir Tarsenko on the right wing. Tarasenko's wrist shot gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead going into the 3rd. With a 2-0 lead in the 3rd the Rangers seemed firmly in control, and even killed off another penalty. However at the 11 minute mark Jonathan Toews was able get the Hawks on the board and cut the lead in half. After this it was a furious Blackhawk onslaught on Henrik Lundqvist. Despite shot after shot Lundqvist made save after save to run out the clock and give the Rangers a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4 would be the most pivotal game in the series, as Chicago had a chance to tie things up, while the Rangers had a chance to go up 3-1. Like the other games played so far the game was once again a goalie duel. A little more than halfway through Artem Anisimov fed the puck to Vladimir Tarasenko at the top of the circle Tarasenko fed the puck to a waiting Ryan McDonagh at the point who blasted the shot past Corey Crawford for the 1-0 lead. After that it was the Lundqvist show again as he turned aside the Chicago shots although they weren't much as the Rangers played smothering D. To top this off Chicago's forward core couldn't seem to get anything going. As the buzzer sounded the United Center got quiet and empty quick. The final score read a 1-0 win for the Rangers,another shutout for Lundqvist, and a 3-1 series lead with a chance to win the Stanley Cup at home in Game 5.

As Game 5 approached Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan warned his players not to let down and keep playing hard so they could get the job done. He pointed out how the 94 team had a 3-1 series lead and the series wound up going 7. When asked about their most recent cup in 2012, Sullivan said he knew they won in 5 at home and he was just trying to keep his players heads up. The game opened in front of a sea of blue at Madison Square Garden, and it saw the Rangers going for it. Early in the 1st Keith Yandle sent a pass low into the Blackhawk zone to Dominic Moore, Moore fed Kevin Hayes on the right side to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Just 6 minutes later Steven Stamkos picked up a loose puck and fired it on Corey Crawford, just like Game 2 Crawford kicked the puck out to a waiting Carl Hagelin who put it home to double the lead. That would be all she wrote for the 1st period as the crowd roared in approval at the 2-0 lead. Unlike the 1st period the 2nd was quiet, despite 1 penalty to Derek Stepan the Rangers penalty kill came through again and the Rangers were now 1 period away from a 2nd Stanley Cup in 4 years. AS the 3rd started the crowd knew that they were 20 minutes away from glory again. Early on the Rangers kept pouring the offense on, and just 3 minutes in Steven Stamkos redirected a Carl Hagelin shot passed Corey Crawford for a 3-0 lead that sent the crowd crazy. Unfortunately this 3-0 lead was short lived as Duncan Keith got the Hawks on the board with a little over 15 minutes remaining. This spark awoke the Hawks somewhat as they played harder and more intense as the game went on. During the next TV timeout Sullivan calmly told his players to get it going. When action resumed the Rangers woke up. With just over 3 minutes left a faceoff occurred in the Chicago zone. Derek Stepan won the ensuing face off back to John Moore who slid the puck to a waiting Mats Zuccarello who put home a shot to make it 4-1. After this it was nothing but celebrating as the clock wound down. For the 2nd time in 4 years the New York Rangers had won the Stanley Cup. After the handshakes and celebrating, Gary Bettman awarded the Conn Smythe trophy to Henrik Lundqvist who had been nothing short of outstanding these playoffs and especially this final series. After that the Cup was again awarded to captain Marty St.Louis who had a quiet series and had been surrounded by retirement rumors. St.Louis passed the cup to Marian Gaborik who had his 1st cup after 15 years in the league and the celebration lasted into the wee hours of the morning as the game was played on a Saturday night.
 
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