New York Rangers produce yet another magic moment in wild Game 6 win

These New York Rangers have been easy to fall in love with this year. And that was emphatically proven on Friday night.

Ever since ‘The Letter’ was released, Ranger fans have had to take the rough with the smooth, accepting that there would be far more of the former than the latter.

But, as the old adage goes, good things come to those who wait, and this season has been a reward for those who remained patient throughout the rebuild.

From surpassing the 100 point threshold to Chris Kreider finally morphing into the lethal scorer he’s long threatened to be to the continued development of the kids, this year has been like heaven for Rangers fans.

Madison Square Garden has been their place of worship and they’ve been spoiled with the amount of gifts they’ve received from the Hockey Gods.

However, for as many memorable moments as there were during the regular season, Friday night could be looked upon as the pinnacle no matter what happens in Game Seven on Sunday night.

Because, once again, these Rangers didn’t make life easy for themselves but, once again, they showed their grit, their character and the never-say-die spirit that has New York dreaming of a first Stanley Cup parade since 1994.

We wrote here about how Game Six was a huge opportunity for the Blueshirts to send a clear and huge statement, and they delivered and then some.

For the second straight game, Ranger fans were forced to navigate the ultimate stress test as Jeff Carter and Bryan Rust put the Penguins in the driving seat, even without Sidney Crosby who was ruled out with an upper-body injury.

But, for the second straight game, the Rangers rolled up their sleeves, put on their hard hats and their big boy pants and got to work.

And, as they say, timing really is everything as Mika Zibanejad, freed from the shackles of chasing Crosby’s elusive shadow, finally woke from his offensive slump, scoring two huge second period goals to make it a tied game.

One of those goals came on the power play, a strength that was so deadly throughout the regular season but had scored just once in the three prior games.

Well, just when they needed it to the most, the top power play unit came up clutch as Chris Kreider also tallied on the man advantage, with help from goalie Igor Shesterkin who produced perhaps the pass of the playoffs so far.

Then, after more adversity was volleyed their way in the form of Evgeni Malkin making it a tied game late in the second, the Rangers again went to war and laughed in the face of pressure with Kreider scoring on a hell of a shot from the point.

Andrew Copp added an empty-netter to ensure that the Rangers erased a 3-1 series deficit to force a Game Seven in New York, and it was a timely reminder that this team is building something special.

Not only do they have the grizzled veterans and an exciting fusion of young talent, but Head Coach Gerard Gallant has built an unbreakable spirit and togetherness in that locker room that could prove the difference when it comes to hunting championships.

These Rangers may bend, but rarely do they ever truly break.

They were presented a huge opportunity to take advantage of a Pittsburgh team without their Captain in the lineup and with their third-string goalie still between the pipes, and they did exactly that.

Now, granted, there is still the matter of trying to get the job done in Game Seven and, with Madison Square Garden going to be electric, the Rangers will have every advantage and omen on their side.

But, no matter what happens on Sunday, this has been a special season, one that has superbly teased what looks to be a bright future for this franchise, and Game Six on Friday was perhaps the best way to sum up just how magical a year this really has been.