So let’s go back to 2012 when the Rangers were the first seed in the East after finishing one point behind Vancouver for the Presidents’ Trophy. Significant favorites in their 1-8 first-round matchup against Ottawa, they took the first game at the Garden…and then lost Game 2 at home, thus setting up a knock-down, drag-out seven game series.
They moved on to the Caps in the second round, took Game 1 at the Garden…and then lost Game 2 at home, thus setting up a draining seven-game series that included a triple-overtime Game 3 victory.
The pair of seven-game series exhausted the Rangers, whose coach, John Tortorella, was notorious for cutting down the bench. The Black-and-Blueshirts had nothing left when it came to the conference final and were defeated in six games by the Devils after having taken a 2-1 edge in the series.
Two years later, facing the Flyers in the first round as heavy favorites, the Rangers took Game 1 at the Garden…and then lost Game 2 at home, thus setting up an unnecessary seven-game struggle that took some toll on the club.
The Flyers’ Jakub Voracek scores on Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist during Game 2 of the first round in 2014. Getty ImagesIt took some toll because it is never beneficial for a team to play even one more game than necessary to wrap up a series. Nothing good comes of wasting opportunities to seize control. You may have noticed that the Rangers have tended to do that along the way.
This first round against the Caps in which the Rangers got the jump with Sunday’s methodical 4-1 Game 1 victory represents the 10th series since 2012 in which the Blueshirts had home ice advantage. Somewhat incredibly, they have taken a 2-0 series lead only once, two years ago in the 2022 conference final that lost in six games to the Lightning.
On second thought, it’s not all that incredible given the fact that the team has won the Cup one time in the last 84 years. There are always kind of reasons this kind of thing keeps happening.
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So in preparation for Tuesday’s Game 2, you replay these scenarios. It has long been my contention that the 2012 Blueshirts actually lost the Cup in Round 2 when they could not close out the Caps in five games after taking a 1-0 lead at home and then a 2-1 series lead on Marian Gaborik’s triple OT winner.
You think about these hypotheticals. You run them through your calculus. Or at least I do. Mika Zibanejad, though, he does not.
“That’s your job. That’s your job to think about and ask these questions. You have that time to think about those different scenarios, think about history, that’s up to you guys,” No. 93 said following Tuesday’s morning skate. “We don’t write. We play and [our focus] just has to be on that one game coming up next.
“We want to take care of this game, of course. We want to take care of our home games and go up 2-0 but if that doesn’t happen, we’ve got to find another way. Those scenarios are not going through our heads when we play.”
Rangers winger Chris Kreider (20) celebrates a goal against the Capitals in Game 1 on April 21, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg/NY PostThis is Zibanejad’s eighth playoff series as a Ranger, if you count the 2020 bubble experience against the ‘Canes in Toronto. The Swede remarked how each game is unique unto itself, but no experience was more unique than 2020. Colleague Mollie Walker says that she does not count that as a playoff series, but in that case what we do with the Lightning’s Cup and the Islanders’ run to the semis?
A year ago, of course, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the opening round by beating the Devils twice in New Jersey. Then they flopped to such a degree that head coach Gerard Gallant, behind the bench for 110- and 107-point seasons, was dismissed after the seven-game defeat and replaced by Peter Laviolette.
The coaching change signaled a clear break from last season. Indeed, 2022-23 rarely came up as the season unfolded and it has rarely come up as the playoffs have commenced.
Rangers defenseman Erik Gustafsson (l.) battles with Capitals wing Alex Ovechkin (r.) in Game 1. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post“It’s obviously goes individually but I don’t think last year is a big motivation we think about,” Zibanejad said. “You use it as a fuel for the summer and going into the season.
“We’ve been trying to build something all year, trying to build the identity of our team. I think we’ve done everything during the season to make sure we’re ready for this.”
The Caps have the worst goal-differential at minus-37 of any playoff team since the 1990-91 Canucks, who were minus-72 in going 28-43-9 and weren’t those the days! It is almost impossible to imagine Washington winning four of seven here if the Rangers maintain their interest.
If you think that ratchets the pressure up even more on the Presidents’ Trophy winners, Zibanejad has a thought.
“It doesn’t change. The pressure is going to be there,” said No. 93. “Just the question about last year, there’s pressure right there.
“It’s normal to ask these questions but we have to be able to focus on ourselves. We’ve done that all year.”
