Why It Was Not A Failure For The New York Rangers

Apr 24, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers left wing

(62) is congratulated by teammates center

(28) and defenseman

(5) after scoring the game winning goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during overtime in game five of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers defeated the Penguins 2 – 1 in overtime to advance to the next round. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

1. Finished Early

In the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rangers witnessed something that had not been done in quite some time. The team actually won a series in less than seven games, beating the Penguins in five games.

In fact, they were able to beat the Penguins in five games. The last time the Rangers beat an opponent without going the limit in a best-of-seven series was last season’s Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens, beating them 4-2 to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1994.

It seemed like forever since the Rangers were able to finish a series early and rest up for their next opponent.

Since the 2011-2012 season, the Rangers had not been making it easy on themselves, nor its fans. Seven of their past 11 playoff rounds the Rangers have played in had been taken to the full seven games. The fascinating part, they had won all of them.