10 worst Rangers playoffs moments of the past decade, part 2

Part 2 of our look at some of the New York Rangers worst memories

It’s sad to say, but the New York Rangers have had nothing but disappointment in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since June 1994.   While there have been thrilling moments, ultimately there has been nothing but despair.

In a two-part series, we have been looking at the Rangers’ ten worst Stanley Cup Playoff moments of the last decade.   After revisiting some awful moments against the Bruins, Senators and Penguins it’s time to turn our attention to the five worst.  In our first list, we included one game from the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, a series we will revisit in this installment.

We will start with a game against a Metro area rival that laid the groundwork for a bigger disappointment.

5. 2012 Conference Finals, Game 5: A late goal in a crucial game

In 2012, the Rangers were the best team in the Eastern Conference. They did not win the Presidents’ Trophy, but they did not have a weak point on their team. They entered the Playoffs as the top seed in the East and were the best team left in the Playoffs when the Presidents’ Trophy winning  Vancouver Canucks lost in round one to the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Kings.

The Rangers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, beating the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators both in 7 games, and then were matched up with their cross-river rival New Jersey Devils. The Devils were the sixth seed in the East and were led by legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur. The Rangers won Games One and Three and the Devils won Games Two and Four. It was a back and forth series, exactly what you would expect from this rivalry.

Game Five at the Garden was supposed to be the Rangers’ turn. But they started slow, giving up three goals in the first ten minutes. They turned it around in the second period on goals from Brian Prust, Ryan Callahan and when Marian Gaborik scored 17 seconds into the third period, it was a whole new game.

Then, it started to look like typical Rangers-Devils. It was scrappy, with both teams fighting for every inch and with great saves from two elite goaltenders. With 4:26 left, Ilya Kovalchuk fed Ryan Carter to Lundqvist’s right, and he did not see the shot coming. It was 4-3 New Jersey, and Zach Parise ended up adding an empty netter to make the game 5-3.

If the Rangers won this game and completed the comeback, this series could have been a lot different. More on that later.