We are now deep into the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it hasn’t been a kind one to a host of former New York Rangers players.
We’ve been treated to 41 games, a ton of goals, two series sweeps and some big upsets that have involved a number of players who once laced up their skates for the New York Rangers.
Although the Blueshirts aren’t involved in the postseason, we here at Blue Line Station have still been keeping a close eye on all of the action.
Here’s our handy roundup of all the ties involving former NYR players…
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (0-4)
There was a boatload of former Rangers involved in this matchup and the majority of those went home unhappy.
This was a true bracket buster and there probably wasn’t too many people out there who predicted a series win for the Blue Jackets, let alone a sweep.
And it looked like it was all going to plan for the Lightning who had a three-goal lead after the first period in Game One, but it all went downhill from there for the team that clinched the Presidents Trophy and made history with 62 wins in the regular season.
Ryan McDonagh gave up a brutal giveaway that led to the comeback in Game 1, and you would be hard pressed to give any credit to too many players on that Tampa Bay roster.
Columbus, on the other hand, who can count former Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky and defenseman Adam Clendening among their number, were superb throughout the series and their gutsy moves at the trade deadline paid off in emphatic fashion.
Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (3-3)
This series is on a knifes edge and it is anyone’s guess as to who marches on to the Second Round.
Boston were many people’s favorites to beat Tampa to the Stanley Cup but they haven’t been that impressive, and it has taken a while for the likes of David Pastrnak to get hot.
Toronto, meanwhile, is desperate to avoid a second straight first round exit at the hands of their archrivals and they will need to do a much better job of killing penalties if they want to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself again.
The Maple Leafs rank 15th out of the 16 teams involved in the First Round in terms of the penalty kill, with a percentage of 56.3. They’ve been penalized 16 times and have allowed a whopping seven goals
In terms of Rangers connections, there are only two involved in this series and they both ply their trade for the Bruins in John Moore and Steven Kampfer.
Moore has skated in three games with no points and a +/- rating of -4, while Kampfer has only laced up for one game this series.
Both teams have a ton of firepower at their disposal which should make for a thrilling Game Seven.