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2007-2008 RANGERS
PLAYOFF PAGE |
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Rangers to Face Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs
After an impressive five-game series win over the New Jersey Devils in Round One of the 2008 NHL Playoffs, the Rangers will head to Pittsburgh to challenge the second-seeded Penguins. The Rangers won five of their eight regular season meetings with the Penguins--two were in overtime. Pittsburgh finished the regular season on top of the Atlantic Division with a 47-27-8 record.
The Rangers will look to ride the momentum generated by their dominating first round performance with star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist leading the way. Lundqvist was 4-1 with a 2.36 GAA in Round One. Jaromir Jagr led the Rangers with 8 points, followed closely by Scott Gomez’ 7 points.
The Penguins are led by 2007 Hart Trophy recipient Sidney Crosby who led the Penguins with 8 points in Round 1. Center Evgeni Malkin turned in a solid regular season performance for the Penguins ranking 2nd in points (106), 4th in goals (47) and 6th in assists (59).
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Rangers - Round 2 Playoffs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
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| Game | Date | Place | Time | Final | TV |
| Game 1 | Friday, April 25, 2008 | Away | 7:00 pm | L (4-5) | MSG,VERSUS |
| Game 2 | Sunday, April 27, 2008 | Away | 2:00 pm | L (0-2) | MSG, NBC |
| Game 3 | Tuesday, April 29, 2008 | HOME | 7:00 pm | L (3-5) | MSG,VERSUS |
| Game 4 | Thursday, May 1 , 2008 | HOME | 7:00 pm | W (3-0) | MSG,VERSUS |
| Game 5 | Sunday, May 4, 2008 | Away | 2:00 pm | L (2-3) | MSG, NBC |
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Game One: Rangers v. Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins notched a come-from-behind victory in Game 1, defeating the Rangers by a score of 5-4. Goals by Straka, Drury and Avery put the Rangers comfortably ahead 3-0. Pittsburgh then rallied, scoring four unanswered goals and taking a 4-3 lead with 15 minutes left in regulation. Forwards Petr Sykora and Marian Hossa scored 20 seconds apart early in the third period during Pittsburgh's rally. Scott Gomez scored midway through the third period to tie the score, but a crucial penalty in the latter stages of the period awarded the Penguins with a power play advantage. Pittsburgh capitalized as Evgeni Malkin tipped in a Sidney Crosby shot with 1:41 left, securing the comeback victory. The Rangers lost for the first time in four road games in these playoffs. They will look to even up the series in Game 2.
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Game Two: Rangers v. Penguins
The Rangers lost Game 2 by a score of 2-0, falling behind in the series 2-0. The game remained scoreless more than half-way through the second period when Penguins forward Jordan Staal scored on a power-play. The goal proved to be all Pittsburgh needed as goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury turned away all 26 shots the Rangers put on goal. Adam Hall added an empty net goal with 17 seconds left in the 3rd period. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist recorded 30 saves for the Rangers, allowing only one goal. The Rangers held Sidney Crosby scoreless for the 2nd straight game, however New York was unable to capitalize. The Rangers will look to get back on track when the series returns to New York, where the Rangers went 3-0-1 against Pittsburgh during the regular season.
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Game Three: Rangers v. Penguins
The Rangers lost Game 3 by a score of 5-3. The Penguins now lead the series 3-0. After being announced as one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy (NHL most valuable player award) Penguins’ star Evegeni Malkin scored 2 goals en route to the win. The Penguins came out strong, scoring 3 goals in the first period, including a power play goal by Malkin and wrist shots by Marian Hossa and Georges Laraque. The Rangers roared back to tie the game in the 2nd period on goals by Ryan Callahan and Jaromir Jagr, who added an assist as well. The Penguins were able to counter, scoring two consecutive goals by Malkin and Ryan Malone to seal the victory. The Rangers once again held Sidney Crosby scoreless, but New York was unable to capitalize. The Rangers will look to overcome a 3-0 deficit going into Game 4 at home.
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Game Four: Rangers v. Penguins
The New York Rangers won Game 4 by a score of 3-0. The Rangers were led by the strong play of Jaromir Jagr, who contributed three points (2 goals, 1 assist), to force a crucial Game 5 in Pittsburgh. Jagr got the Rangers on the board with the game’s first goal 12 minutes into the second period and later assisted on a goal by Brandon Dubinsky in the first minute of the third period to give the Rangers a comfortable 2-0 advantage. Jagr added his second goal in the final minute of the game to secure the Ranger’s victory. Ranger’s goalie Henrik Lundqvist bounced back from a rough series, stopping 29 shots, to register his second career playoff shutout. The Rangers will be looking to become only the third team in NHL playoff history to come back from a 3-0 deficit.
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Game Five: Rangers v. Penguins
The New York Rangers lost Game 5 by a score of 3-2 in overtime. Goals by Marian Hossa and Evgeni Malkin put Pittsburgh up 2-0 into the third period. The Rangers battled back to score two quick goals by Lauri Korpikoski and Nigel Dawes within a 1:22 period. The game remained deadlocked into overtime before a 2nd goal by Marian Hossa sealed the victory for the Penguins. Henrik Lundqvist led the Rangers with 37 saves, including several in the overtime period during a power play. The Penguins will now move on to play an all-Pennsylvania Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers.
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Rangers Playoff Preview
For the third consecutive year, the New York Rangers are headed to the NHL postseason. Coming into the playoffs as a #5 seed, the Rangers will face the New Jersey Devils in the opening round of this best-of-seven series. The Rangers went 7-1 in their eight regular-season games against the Devils, including a 3-1 record at the Prudential Center, where the first two games of the series will take place. At the Prudential Center, the Rangers defeated the Devils 4-2, 3-1 and 2-1, but lost the final game of the regular season 3-2 in a shootout.
The Rangers are led by perennial All-Star and team captain Jaromir Jagr who led the team this season with 25 goals and 71 points. Center Scott Gomez also had a great season for the Rangers, tallying 70 points (54 assists). Protecting the net is star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist whose 37 wins and 2.23 GAA were among the NHL’s finest. The Devils are led by Zach Parise who contributed 32 goals and 65 points this season. Goaltender Martin Brodeur also had an amazing season, capturing 44 wins and a 2.17 GAA average.
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Rangers - Round 1 Playoffs vs. New Jersey Devils
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| Game | Date | Place | Time | Final | TV |
| Game 1 | April 9, 2008 | Away | 7:00 pm | W (4-1) | MSG |
| Game 2 | April 11, 2008 | Away | 7:00 pm | W (2-1) | MSG |
| Game 3 | April 13, 2008 | HOME | 7:00 pm | L (3-4) | MSG, Versus |
| Game 4 | April 16, 2008 | HOME | 7:00 pm | W (5-3) | MSG, Versus |
| Game 5 | April 18, 2008 | Away | 7:30 pm | W (5-3) | MSG |
Game One: Rangers v. Devils
The Rangers won Game 1 by a score of 4-1 and stealing home-ice advantage from the Devils. Ryan Callahan’s shorthanded goal 7:23 into the third snapped a 1-1 tie and former Devil Scott Gomez was a Devil’s killer with three assists. Brendan Shanahan, Sean Avery and Nigel Dawes (empty net) also connected for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves including a game-changing left leg pad stop on Devils forward Patrik Elias at the right post with a little over two minutes remaining in the second period. Defenseman Paul Martin scored the lone goal for the Devils.
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Game Two: Rangers v. Devils
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundgvist came up big with 26 saves as the Rangers continued their dominance over the Devils with a 2-1 victory. Jaromir Jagr and Steve Avery scored 23 seconds apart in the third period, securing the victory for the Rangers. Jagr’s goal was his 73rd postseason point which places him second all time amongst active players. Devils center John Madden scored their only goal. The Rangers have opened up a 2-0 series lead as they head back to New York for Game 3. The Rangers have never lost a postseason series in which they have led 2-0.
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Game Three: Rangers v. Devils
The Devils rebounded with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Rangers in Game 3. In a must win situation, John Madden scored on a deflected shot 6:01 into overtime to capture the victory. Madden’s shot clipped the skate of Ranger defensemen Marc Staal and ricocheted into the goal. Sergei Brylin, Patrik Elias and Zach Parise also scored for the Devils. New Jersey’s victory keeps their chances alive and guarantees that the series will return to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Rangers’ rookie Brandon Dubinsky scored two goals and Steve Avery scored for the third straight game.
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Game Four: Rangers v. Devils
The Rangers won Game 4 by a score of 5-3, pushing the Devils to the brink of elimination. Rangers’ rookie defensemen Marc Staal made up for his unintentional assist in the Devils’ win in Game 3 by scoring the winning goal in Game 4 on a slap shot. Scott Gomez added two goals while Martin Straka and Chris Drury rounded out the scoring for the Rangers. Patrick Elias scored twice for the Devils while Mike Mottau added a goal as well. The Rangers have a chance to win the series in Game 5 at the Prudential Center in Newark where they are already 2-0 in the series.
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Game Five: Rangers v. Devils
The Rangers eliminated the Devils from the playoffs with a 5-3 victory in Game 5. The Rangers were led by the strong play of captain Jaromir Jagr who had three points including the go-ahead goal. After falling behind early in the first period, the Rangers scored four straight goals to clinch the series and advance to the second round for the second consecutive year. New Jersey’s Patrik Elias added his fourth goal of the series but the Devils comeback came up short.
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Last Updated On:
Monday, May 5, 2008 | |
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