NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Rangers aren’t accustomed to this.
In last year’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, they went the seven-game limit in the first two series, then needed six games in the Eastern Conference final.
Now, after four straight 2-1 victories – the clincher in Game 5 Friday night against Pittsburgh on Carl Hagelin’s overtime goal – they actually get some time to, as coach Alain Vigneault put it, “heal some bumps and bruises.”
New York will face the winner of the Capitals-Islanders series, which Washington led 3-2 heading into Saturday’s game at Nassau Coliseum. Rather than look ahead to a potential next opponent, the Rangers looked forward to some rest.
“Anytime you can close out a series and heal some bumps and bruises – which we certainly have a few – it’s a good thing,” Vigneault said. “We will take the next couple of days here to recuperate and recover and we’ll get right back to strategizing for the next series and getting ready.”