Five storylines for the Rangers in the playoffs
New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (23) during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals in New York, Friday, April 29, 2022. The Rangers won 3-2. Credit: Noah K. Murray
It’s been five years since the Rangers last played in the Stanley Cup playoffs (not counting that three-game cameo in the play-in round in the Toronto bubble in 2020). So as the Blueshirts return to the postseason with their first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, here are 5 storylines to keep track of in Year One, A.T.R. (After The Rebuild).
Are Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp good to go? Coach Gerard Gallant has been insistent that they weren’t badly injured after both players left Tuesday’s loss to Carolina early in the second period. And Gallant has been adamant that the players will be more than ready to play in Game 1 Tuesday. But it was Gallant who initially said Kakko was a day-to-day injury when he didn’t play against Arizona in late January. He amended that a few days later to say Kakko would be out about three weeks. He missed 11 weeks. This is the playoffs. Coaches aren’t just cagey and evasive when asked about injuries; they flat out lie at times. Let’s see if Panarin and Copp practice Sunday and Monday, and let’s see how effective they are on Tuesday, if they do play.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
More Rangers
