Navid F
The New York Rangers experienced déjà vu all over again on Saturday night after taking a two-goal lead against the Los Angeles Kings only to relinquish it and lose again in overtime of the NHL Stanley Cup finals’ Game 2. The series shifts to New York tonight, where the two teams will face off in Game 3 at 8:00 PM ET. The NBC Sports Network will broadcast the game.
The New York Rangers experienced déjà vu all over again on Saturday night after taking a two-goal lead against the Los Angeles Kings only to relinquish it and lose again in overtime of the NHL Stanley Cup finals’ Game 2. The series shifts to New York tonight, where the two teams will face off in Game 3 at 8:00 PM ET. The NBC Sports Network will broadcast the game.
While Game 2 may have been a must-win for the Rangers, Game 3 certainly is one. A 3-0 deficit may not be the insurmountable task in hockey that it is in other sports (the Kings actually overcame a 3-game deficit in the first round of this year’s playoffs), but it’s not the desired situation either. That makes Game 3 the Rangers’ biggest game in recent memory.
“Tomorrow’s as close to a must-(win) game as I think we can have,” said Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. “Until you face elimination, that’s as close as we can get.
“There’s a lot of good things that we’re doing on the ice. There’s a couple things that we need to clean up that we’re going to address tomorrow with our group.”
The streaking Kings will be waiting for them. Not only are the Kings on a high from the first two games, but they’re also relishing the opportunity to play in one of the world’s most famous arenas.
“That’s the best part of playing the Rangers, you get to play in Madison Square Garden,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter explained. “For sure the best of the old-time buildings.”
And for the detractors pointing to the Kings’ slow starts as reason for why they should be concerned, winger Justin Williams has this response: “We’re in a results-oriented league. The results are we’re up 2-0. I don’t care how we got here.”
The New York Rangers are the favorite in Game 3 at -140, with the Los Angeles Kings at +120. The Puck Line is -1.5 for the Rangers.
