Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The New York Rangers’ three-decade long Stanley Cup drought will last another year.
The Rangers were shut out 2-0 Saturday night in a Game 6 Eastern Conference Finals elimination loss to the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers will advance to face either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers as they earn a ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
HERE COME THE RATS 🐀 pic.twitter.com/BNpBIgg4Da
The Rangers’ inability to push the ECF to seven games and force a deciding winner-takes-all contest at Madison Square Game frustrated fans, especially after New York opened the playoffs with a dominant seven-game win streak.
tony @tonyarnoldine
The Rangers ran out of gas and picked the worst time to play their worst hockey. So tough after the great regular season and 7-0 start to the playoffs. #NYR
Alexandra De Wit @Storakatten
Rangers legit just going out with the weakest two game whimper.
Adam Weinrib @AdamWeinrib
Every single year, the Rangers are the third or fourth best team in the NHL.
Every single year, in a sport that everyone tells me is dominated by luck and allows anyone to prosper, the Rangers finish third or fourth and can’t overcome a better team.
Boring.
The Panthers’ opened the scoring with less than one minute remaining in the first period, when Evan Rodrigues’ back pass to Sam Bennett put Florida on the board:
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
SAM BENNETT SCORES WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT IN THE FIRST 🚀 pic.twitter.com/skPEdzUtM2
Former Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko added to the deficit with another strike midway through the second period:
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
THE TARASENKSHOW 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Npcf7cIcxk
The Rangers made a final push by pulling Igor Shesterkin, which sparked a late goal from Artemi Panarin:
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
THE RANGERS BREAK THE SHUTOUT pic.twitter.com/QuPnzpsH7U
David Wilson @DBWilson2
The Rangers had three shots in the third period before they pulled the goalie.
The push was too little, too late as the Rangers were unable to find the tying goal in the final minute.
The Panthers defense blocked 23 shots, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves to backstop Florida to the win.
Shesterkin made 32 stops in the loss, bringing back memories of the years New York was unable to win a Cup with Henrik Lundqvist in net:
Jimmy R @jimmyr0223
First Lundqvist and now Shesterkin….legit tried to carry the Rangers to a Stanley Cup. Lundqvist at least got there but what a waste.
fourth overall pick @fourthoverall
truly impressive how the rangers keep drafting and perpetually disappointing goalies who are generational talents
Pikachu_Rangers🇦🇷🇺🇸 @Pikachu_Rangers
Henrik Shesterkin
The loss led disappointed Rangers fans to call for major changes this offseason.
The Garden Faithful @GardenFaithful
At this point it feels futile criticizing Panarin, Mika, Kreider, Fox, etc. I think they’re trying. I think they want to win. Elite regular season players. Lovable Rangers. But they’re not good enough to win a Cup. Nothing deep about it.
Jack @blueJACKc1ty
The Rangers need to make the same changes that FL made in the Tkachuck trade. They just aren’t built to win in the playoffs. Too many guys gliding and going for loops instead of trying to win every single race/battle.
John Flynn @JohnFlynn97
In the 5 years since Panarin chose the Rangers over the Islanders in free agency, the Rangers won fewer playoff games (23) than the less talented Islanders (24). That’s shaping to be Panarin’s unfortunate Rangers legacy.
Others gave credit to the Panthers for their ability to take control of Game 6 and repeat as Eastern Conference champions:
Dan Trent @danimaltrent
As bad as the Rangers played, this Florida team is really good. This was a nightmare matchup from the start of the season
The Original Burnsie @burnsieoriginal
The Panthers were just too much for the Rangers and the better team won.
The Rangers were fighting to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2014, and to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994.
Now the fans will have to wait at least another year to see the trophy return to New York.
SeanJoseph19 @SeanJoseph1978
The Rangers will have another shot…
In 2054.
The Panthers, seeking redemption after losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, will meanwhile wait for their opponent. The Oilers currently hold a 3-2 Western Conference Finals series lead over the Stars and could earn their Final ticket with a win when the puck drops for Game 6 Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET.
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