This day in NY sports history

THIS DAY IN NY SPORTS HISTORY

Thursday, March 21, 1929

Rangers beat the Americans in playoffs

Butch Keeling's goal at the 19:50 mark of the second sudden-death overtime gave the Rangers a 1-0 win over the New York Americans in Game 2 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs at the Garden. At the time, series were decided based on which team scored the most goals in the two games. The opener was a 0-0 tie, and Keeling's goal was the only score in 149:50 of play. Goalie John Ross Roach blanked the Americans. The New York teams were aligned in different divisions - the Rangers in the American and the Americans, ironically, in the Canadian Division. By virtue of both finishing second in their respective divisions, the teams faced each other in the first round. The Rangers, 21-13-10 that season, went on to beat the Maple Leafs in the semifinals but lost both games to the Boston Bruins in the finals.