Good job, good effort. It didn’t matter whether the Islanders won or lost against the Senators on Sunday. Their fate was sealed the night before when the Maple Leafs clinched the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, eliminating the Isles and their last-ditch effort to reach the postseason. The Islanders’ (41-29-12) consolation prize was […]
Read MoreWith little at stake in the regular-season finale, the Rangers and Penguins just wanted to get through it unscathed. Now both teams can focus on the playoffs as they chase the Stanley Cup. Jimmy Vesey scored a tiebreaking goal in the third period and the Rangers beat the Penguins 3-2 Sunday night. Ryan McDonagh had […]
Read MoreIt was an emotional ceremony on a night when the hockey meant nothing. Amid many tears, on the ice and in the stands, Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello was given the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award for the second straight year and the third time in the past four years before his team’s regular-season finale, a […]
Read MoreIt wasn’t supposed to be like this, a cruise for the final two weeks — even if the Rangers had been cruising in their self-made malaise for closer to six weeks. But just as all that uncertainty hovered at the start of this soft-transition year for the organization, so it does again as the new […]
Read MoreBryan Bickell put a dramatic touch on the final game of his NHL career Sunday as the Carolina Hurricanes finished their season with a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Coach Bill Peters put Bickell, who is battling multiple sclerosis, into his shootout lineup and the 31-year-old forward scored to give the Hurricanes the advantage. […]
Read MoreIt was only three seasons ago when the Bell Centre in Montreal was still the House of Horrors for the Rangers. But after they beat the Canadiens in the 2014 Eastern Conference final, that little bit of bad feeling was extinguished. At least that is what the Rangers hope as they head north to start […]
Read MoreDecisions are coming soon for Alain Vigneault when the Rangers coach makes his lineup for Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Canadiens, starting Wednesday night in Montreal. And at least initially, it seems that experience is going to play a big factor. “There’s no doubt that that’s a big part of trusting […]
Read MoreIt is the history of personal relationships, of previous games between these two clubs, and of the places where history will be written anew that makes this Rangers-Canadiens first-round matchup more intriguing than just what might happen on the ice. Like the first question that Chris Kreider received on Monday afternoon, predictably asking if the […]
Read MoreThe writer was trying to find the correct words to describe Henrik Lundqvist’s season while framing a question about the goaltender’s confidence heading into the 11th playoff tournament of his career. “Not really your best,” represented the initial attempt. “Different,” Lundqvist said. “It was different.” It was so different. This season of false starts, pucks […]
Read MoreCaptain Ryan McDonagh goes into the corner with The Post’s Steve Serby for a Q&A ahead of the Rangers’ first-round series against the Canadiens. Q: What do you like best about this Rangers team? A: I think the good mixture of experience, guys (who) have been together for a while and a lot of new […]
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