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10 worst Rangers playoff moments of the past decade, part 1

By Jake Mozarsky

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 09: Jesper Fast #19 of the New York Rangers is stopped by Craig Anderson #41 of the Ottawa Senators during the second period in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 9, 2017 in New York City. The Senators defeated the Rangers 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 09: Jesper Fast #19 of the New York Rangers is stopped by Craig Anderson #41 of the Ottawa Senators during the second period in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 9, 2017 in New York City. The Senators defeated the Rangers 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MAY 09: Jesper Fast #19 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 09: Jesper Fast #19 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Playoff disappointment is not new to the New York Rangers and here are some of the worst moments

Before the New York Rangers sent out a letter to their fans saying that they were going to rebuild and retool, the team made the Stanley Cup Playoffs 12 out of the previous 13 years. Whenever the playoffs came around, the Rangers were a team to look out for, and they were exciting every time they touched the puck.

The playoffs were filled with so many amazing moments, from 2012 when we saw Brad Richard’s tying goal with 6 seconds left in Game Five of the Eastern Conference finals to 2017 when Mika Zibanejad scored an overtime goal to give the team a 3-2 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens. These moments last a lifetime.

At the same time, the team never reached its ultimate goal, to bring the Stanley Cup back to New York. Every year, fans watched heartbreaking playoff moments that leave them thinking what could have been.

In this two-part series, we are going to look at the ten worst playoff moments of the last decade.  In part one we will count down from moments ten to six,  starting with a tough loss that foreshadowed what was to come for the Rangers.

New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins celebrate (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

10. 2016 First Round, Game 4: Penguins demolish Rangers

The Rangers came into the series as the third seed in the Metropolitan Division and after beating Pittsburgh in the playoffs the two previous seasons, there was reason for optimism. The team stole Game Two in Pittsburgh to tie up the series, but lost Game Three 4-2, due to some questionable calls.

Ranger fans knew the team needed to win this game and make a statement, but they did the exact opposite. From the start, they looked flat-footed and when the Penguins scored three goals in the first period, they never recovered.

What made it worse was the game was at Madison Square Garden. They lost the game 5-0, the most one-sided playoff loss for the Blueshirts since their return to the postseason in 2006. They dropped the next game in Pittsburgh 6-3, losing the series in five games.

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