I’m not sure anyone following the Rangers realistically expected a much different first round playoff result, than the whupping the Penguins put on the disorganized Rangers. It was ugly. The last two games in particular showed just how unprepared and unmotivated the Rangers were. For whatever reason the Rangers mailed it in against the Penquins. But as mentioned it should not have been a surprise based on the regular season performance of the Rangers.
How could such a promising start to the season end in such a free falling thud in the playoffs? The great start was on the back of Henrik Lundqvist who’s play had the Vezina Trophy talk going. In front of him, it was apparent all season the rest of the team was struggling. Lundqvist was left exposed to a nightly barrage of high quality shots the team seemed incapable of stopping. For a team with visions of a Broadway spring parade, the Pittsburg series was a stinging notice its retool time.
On the retool side all is not lost the team still had 101 points while seemingly leaving 10 to 20 points on the table, because of their sloppy play. A solid core remains although lacking in stars.
CAR
CBJ
PHI