The Rangers’ elimination by shutout in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night was truly devastating because this team was built to win now — or, well, then.
The Blueshirts seemingly had the leaders to win their first Stanley Cup in 21 years, but when the clock struck triple zeroes, it wasn’t a complete shock that they had lost, either, given some serious weaknesses in the composition of Glen Sather’s team.
The pressure is enormous now to win a championship. Nothing else matters. The Rangers could start 20-0 next season and everyone’s attitude would be: So what?