Stephane Matteau was in the house because, well, of course he was for a Game 7 on Broadway, and of course this winner-take-all between the Rangers and Caps would go to overtime.
Twenty-one years later, 21 years after the last time the Rangers played an OT Game 7, a new hero etched his name in franchise lore, and it was No. 21, Derek Stepan who put an end to this second round by burying a rebound at 11:24 to propel his team to a 2-1 victory Wednesday.
“Individually, it’s a really cool moment for me,” Stepan told The Post minutes after his shot was heard ’round the hockey world.