Rangers Make a Stunning Comeback, Reach the East Finals

The New York Rangers are in the East Finals after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in the seventh game of the semifinal series. The No.2 seed from the Metropolitan Division will now have a home-ice advantage in the Finals against the defending champ Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be a formidable opponent as the Lightning have won back-to-back titles against the Stars and Canadiens, with Jon Cooper starring in both Stanley Cup finals.

There are plenty of reasons to celebrate for NY fans. This is the team's first appearance in the East Finals after 2015. Unfortunately, the Rangers were eliminated by the Lightning in 7 games that year. So it remains to be seen if history will be repeated or if the Rangers are in for revenge.

Chris Kreider was the Rangers' saviour with two goals, while Andrew Copp and Adam Fox scored a further one. They also had one assist behind their names. If there was an MVP to pick from the NY-based team, it was goalie Igor Shesterkin with 37 saves. Kreider was delighted about the trip back to the East Finals. He said that the whole team worked toward the common goal, and that having a good start helped. He also credited Shesterkin for his impeccable performance. If he wasn't at goal the result could have gone the other way.

The result is all the more important as it handed the Hurricanes the first home loss on the ice this postseason. Carolina came in as a No. 1 seed, but it was ultimately on the wrong side of the tracks. Captain Jordan Staal lamented the loss, but said that the team didn’t do anything wrong. Anything can happen in Game 7, including a loss to the top seed.

The Rangers struck first via Fox at 3:40 in the first period. Kreider made it 2:0 before a furious Hurricanes rally that was stopped by Shesterkin. With Strome making it 3:0, it was clear that the Rangers were on their way to the Finals. Kreider scored the fourth goal in the third period after picking up a pass from Vatrano. The Hurricanes would score the next goal, before Max Domi made it 5-1.

Adam Fox said that the Rangers are a resilient group that never gives up. "We've had our backs against the wall five times, and we've come through. We want the momentum to continue in the next round". The Rangers will certainly be hoping that it does, but two-time back-to-back champs Tampa Bay Lightning is a tough match.

The Tampa Bay team will likely be going for the third title, even if the way goes through the Rangers. However, they will be hoping that it doesn’t take a Game 7 to beat the New York team. The Rangers are 5-0 in elimination games this season. They may not be perfect, but they always find a way to win. That’s what coach Gerard Gallant says, and they will need to be every bit as good as they have been so far to defeat the two-time champ.