As the New York Rangers begin their 100th season in the league, they are looking to create more memorable moments. Here are the five best moments of the 2020s so far.
#5: Starting the Playoffs 7-0 After Winning the Presidents’ Trophy
The Rangers’ most successful season this decade was in 2023-24. The season before, they had been eliminated from the playoffs in Round 1 by the New Jersey Devils. They used that adversity and turned it into a 53-24-4 record and 114 points, good enough for the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best regular-season team. It was also the best regular season in franchise history.
In the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they took on Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, a team that had clawed its way into the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The series wasn’t close, as the Rangers won four straight for the sweep and held Ovechkin to zero goals.
In the second round, they took a 2-0 series lead against the Carolina Hurricanes after a double-overtime winner from Vincent Trocheck. They followed it up with another overtime win in Game 3, for an overall 7-0 record in the playoffs. While they lost the next game, they won the series, 4-2, before losing to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
#4: Stadium Series Comeback vs. New York Islanders
On Feb. 18, 2024, the Rangers and New York Islanders faced each other in the NHL Stadium Series. In front of almost 80,000 fans, this was one of the most entertaining outdoor games in NHL history. The Rangers opened the scoring before the Islanders scored three goals in 3:14 to take a 3-1 lead after the first period. They scored again to make it 4-1 to start the second, but the Rangers fought back to make it 4-3 to end the second.