We thought we had it. We fought a very good fight. We were able to beat Montreal, but Ottawa just took us by surprise. When victory was in our reach, somehow Ottawa found a way to sneak up on us from behind. But, hey, Rangers fans, we made it further than last year.
What really killed the Rangers was overtime. It all started in Game 2. I remember we were leading 5-4, and then in the last few minutes, Ottawa centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau tied it up and we went into overtime. Eventually, Pageau also scored the winning goal and the Senators won 6-5 in double OT. The series is now 2-0, Ottawa. We win the next two games, and then we head back to Canada's capital.
It was almost the exact same situation. The last five minutes of the game, Rangers lead 4-3, we think we have it, but Ottawa centre Derick Brassard sneaks a goal in to tie the game. We go into overtime once again. At 4:12, Michael Grabner of the Rangers scored and we thought it was over, but it was disallowed. 2 minues later, Ottawa's Kyle Turris scores the winning goal and the series is now 3-2, Ottawa, as we head back to New York.
It's a do-or-die situation now. As we head into the 3rd period, it's 2-2. Not even a minute in, the Senators score. Nothing happens throughout, and we're shaking our heads. In the last ten seconds, Pageau scores an empty-net goal, officially ending our shot at the Stanley Cup with a 4-2 win.
In the end, the Rangers had a good run, just came up short. We made it further than last year, and we had a chance to move even further, but things didn't work out. Hopefully, we'll return next year and be better than ever. To all my loyal Ranger fans out there, hope you stay true blue.
