It has been a momentous postseason for the Rangers, reaching their first Stanley Cup final in 20 years.
Having played 20 games in the first three rounds, they compiled some highlights for the ages, some that will go down in Blueshirts lore forever.
Here is a ranking of the top five:
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1. The Save
Having been pulled in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final, Henrik Lundqvist entered Game 6 at the Garden with a fresh outlook.
“To reach your top level, it’s not like you snap your fingers and it’s going to be there every night,” Lundqvist said before the game. “You have to work really hard to reach that, and sometimes it’s hard.”
With 4:45 remaining in the second period, the game was scoreless. Thomas Vanek came streaking up the left side, put a backhand towards the net that hit Dan Girardi’s stick and went floating up into the air. Lundqvist dropped his own stick, spun around on his back and swatted it away with his blocker.
It was a save for the ages, and it allowed the Rangers to advance with a 1-0 victory.
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2. St. Louis returns after mother’s death
The Rangers were down 3-1 in their second-round series against the Penguins, coming off a 4-2 drubbing in Game 4 that was later identified as the low point of the postseason. After landing in Pittsburgh the day before Game 5, the Rangers were all on the bus going to their hotel when St. Louis, the veteran forward, was informed his mother, France, had died of a heart attack at the age of 63.
St. Louis flew home to Montreal, spent the night with his family, and returned on the morning of the game. His teammates played inspired hockey in a 5-1 win, the first victory en route to becoming the first team in franchise history to win a series from down 3-1.
“She was a great lady, best human being I’ve ever known in my life,” St. Louis said. “I owed it to her to do it.”
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3. Mother’s Day goal
The Rangers returned home after the emotional win in Game 5 in Pittsburgh to face elimination once more, this time on Mother’s Day at the Garden. St. Louis flew his father, Normand, and his sister, Isabelle, into New York for the game, setting the stage for him to score the opening goal on a bounce off his leg.
The look on St. Louis’ face after he scored, the looks on all of the Rangers’ faces in the locker room after a 3-1 win, it was emotional overflow.
“I know,” St. Louis said, “she’s helping me through this.”
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4. Dom Moore as hero
The Rangers were playing a tight and controlled Game 6 against the Canadiens in the East final, but were still scoreless late in the second period. After Lundqvist made the save of the postseason, the Blueshirts had some momentum. Their fourth line had the puck deep in the Montreal zone for almost a minute. Ryan McDonagh cycled one behind for Brian Boyle, who made a slick pass through defenseman Francis Bouillon to Moore in front. He blasted the game-winner past rookie goalie Dustin Tokarski blocker-side.
Moore, who lost his 32-year-old wife Katie to a rare type of liver cancer and sat out all of the 2012-13 season, was another emotional boon to the Blueshirts.
“I just feel tremendously proud to be a part of this team,” Moore said. “I owe a lot to my teammates for helping me get through this last year and a half.”
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5. Marty in OT
The Rangers opened the East final by taking two in Montreal’s Bell Centre, a tall task considering their rotten history there. But coming back to the Garden, they lost Game 3 when Alex Galchenyuk scored in overtime and saw Game 4 go to overtime, as well.
That’s when St. Louis, wide open on the right porch, took a smooth pass from Carl Hagelin and roofed one past Tokarski for the game-winner. The skillful score almost blew the roof off the Garden and enabled the Rangers to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Coach Alain Vigneault said St. Louis practices the shot “every time he’s on the ice, like a hundred pucks.”