It’s been a while since the Rangers took fewer than five games to advance.  In fact the last six series they’re won have been: 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 and 6 last year in the Eastern Conference Finals.  You have to go back to 2008 when they beat the Devils 4-1 in Round one to find another series so short.

And they did it against the Penguins…

Too long the Penguins had dominated the Rangers in the playoffs.  Pittsburgh had won the first four post season series between the two clubs, and looked set for a fifth straight win last year before the Rangers rallied from a 1-3 deficit to win the series 4-3.

New York has now won two in a row against their division rivals, and will await the winner of the Washington Capitals – New York Islanders series, which could be decided as soon as tomorrow.

The Capitals of course are a familiar opponent, having played the Rangers in four of the last six seasons.  For the record the teams have split the series evenly at two apiece, though New York has won the last two in seven games.

By contrast the Rangers and Islanders haven’t met in a playoff series since 1994.  You may remember that season…

As far as we can tell, the next round will likely start anywhere from Tuesday through to Thursday.