The New York Rangers disappointed many fans this season, barely squeaking into the playoffs Thursday night as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed. This comes after the Rangers nearly made it to the Stanley Cup finals last season before being bested by the New Jersey Devils, who went on to lose to the Los Angeles Kings, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Rangers have just been hanging on to that eighth spot until recently being shoved out by fellow New York team, the Islanders.
With only two games left to go, it was a devastating scene when the Rangers lost a 2-0 lead. They were overtaken by Carolina Hurricanes Jiri Tlusty in less than a minute into the third period, making the score 3-2.
It looked like the end of the road for the team until Brad Richards knocked a puck off the boards and right into the skate of Hurricanes goaltender Dan Ellis before it bounced into the net.
After a mere 2:55 minutes of play into overtime, Rangers Captain Ryan Callahan landed a puck in the net, launching the team from wishful thinking to seventh seed -- sitting comfortably on top of the Islanders.
"We know that we're right there to get that next point and advance in the playoffs," Callahan said.
Victory was a must for the Rangers as not only were their playoff dreams on the line, but the team had already found itself lagging behind an already-eliminated team for yet another game in a row.
After wavering in-and-out of playoff contention -- not to mention being bested by the Islanders who haven't seen the playoffs in 6 years -- the team now has a secure spot with only one game to go.
It's no doubt that the lockout adversely affected most teams this season, marked by the surge of new faces in the playoffs and the dusting of veterans, but the hit-and-miss performances have left the fate of the Rangers a mystery for now.
Perhaps if they are lucky, they can pull a Los Angeles Kings so to speak and surprise us all.
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