A Chance To Dance: Rangers Spring Into 2011 Playoffs!

by Rich Baiocco

If you had asked me at any point during this season if the Rangers would make the playoffs I would have said YES. We were consistently inconsistent yet remarkably resilient: we only really had one true winning streak (a 2-week period in March where we amassed standings points in 7 straight games) yet never fell prey to a significant losing streak either. Like other teams in the bottom of our conference we never had a 'bad month' or an 'off week.' In fact we rarely had an 'off' game, cementing a gritty, hardworking, defensively responsible Identity that helped our club remain focused on finding ways to win despite a season plagued with injury and a frequent lack of offensive excess (aka breathing room). We played to our strengths all year instead of flailing to be a team we weren't: held onto leads (29-0 when leading going into 3rd period), won 3rd periods (our best period, the comeback was always a no-panic possibility) and won shootouts. We had 93 points, 44 wins, 11 shutouts, a +35 goals for/goals against record, and finished 11 games over .500. We beat the Canucks, the Sharks, the Flyers and the Capitals and when the final buzzer sounded in game 82 against the Devils at Madison Square Garden yesterday afternoon the Blueshirts were up 5-2. Yet we were somehow NOT in the playoffs.

Carolina could earn the tiebreaker by defeating Tampa, and coming off a 3-0 shutout over Detroit and a 6-1 smoking of Atlanta, our fate looked grim. In the aftermath of a truly inspirational and emotional win against the Devils, anxiety paralyzed everyone. Players knew they'd done what they could, but still couldn't celebrate with a future so uncertain. The afternoon was uneasy and I'm sure Blueshirt fans were going over the same things in their heads: comparing the playoff-deservedness of our honest season against the reasons Tampa Bay had to bring their best against Carolina later that evening. So much had gone right for us but would our karma be enough? Reviewing the contributions from our club the stats were impressive: career years from Brian Boyle, Marc Staal, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Brandon Prust. Lundqvist career high shutouts and save percentage. Rookie forwards Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello put up respectable point totals while Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh fit seamlessly into the Rangers tough defensive system. Vinny Prospal, with his career in jeopardy due to injury, shook off naysayers and came back after the all star break to spearhead a Rangers offensive surge on the push to the playoffs while Chris Drury--after suffering two serious mid season injuries--clawed his way back through non-contact practice the final two weeks of the season and into the lineup for the last game of the regular season where the captain came up clutch on his first shift, winning a puck off the boards on a forcheck, getting it back as he cut to the net and beat Marty Brodeur through the wickets to tie the game up and solidify the foundation of an emotional win. Drury is a guy you always want to root for because of his history for coming up big in big moments (pitches complete game Little League World Series for Trumbull Connecticut, Wins Hobey Baker with Boston University, Wins Stanley cup and Calder Trophy with Avalanche, killed Rangers in playoffs as a member of Sabres, makes US Olympic team, scores--guy's a winner) but his season was frustrated by injury and a lack of production, and seeming lack of conditioning. The goal at the Garden thrust him back into the hearts of fans. And to top everything off Ryan McDonagh scores his first ever NHL goal at the most opportune time, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending the Rangers on their way to victory.

A year after taking a less-deserved team to the brink of the playoff picture and losing out in a shootout loss, the Rangers trimmed their fat, stayed closer to their vest, honed their hardworking identity and fought with everything they had to get better. And a year later, they were. But would it be enough? Would the hockey gods smile upon us?

Well if you asked me the same question about the Rangers making the playoffs I would've still said Yes, and if I wholeheartedly, undoubtedly believed my own answer I could've avoided an afternoon/evening of heartburn and stomach knots. But I've been a hockey fan long enough to know anything can happen in this league. My brother and I walked to a bar to catch the game and get some dinner and quickly realized we couldn't eat--too nervous. We just wanted to know, one way or another if we were in the playoffs or not. And believe me, NOT was NOT an option. And the bar was unexpectedly closed. WTF? More waiting. By the time we got back to his apartment the Hockey Gods were grinning. For one thing, the Lightning dressed all their key players. In a game meaning nothing to their playoff position it was entirely possible they'd rest Marty St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier or Steve Stamkos. They didn't. Maybe they felt they owed a little effort to John Tortorella or Vinny Prospal or Ruslan Fedotenko, guys who gave them a cup of their own. Maybe, and more realistically, they just wanted to pound a division rival into the ice. Then they jumped out to a 4-0 lead and without celebrating too early for fear of failure, Blueshirt fans eased the fist that clenched their heart (ever so slightly), and when Marty St. Louis tucked in an empty net goal with less than a minute remaining those same fists thrust into the air and pumped and pumped cause the NEW YORK RANGERS WERE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS BABY!!!

What a stressful and sweet Saturday for Blueshirt fans. All year the guys just wanted a chance to get into the dance and now we are. Anything can happen. Let's gear up for Washington.