For 14 years I have lived and died with the New York Rangers. The blessing and curse of following this team can lead to you living and dying and multiple times within the same game. Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden was one such night. The Rangers game two 4-3 Double OT win over the Hurricanes had it all. Pure excitement, intense frustration, and eventually utter magical elation. Since I lived (thankfully) through this one, I felt I needed to tell the tale of it from my perspective, from my perch on the Bridge, on a night that ended like this.

This goal and its scorer defined what this win was all about. Monday nights victory was about being willing to stick with it. The Rangers have hung in games all year, always finding a way to make something out of nothing. Game two was one of those games, one where they didn’t play their best, had to survive at times and relied on their goalie. Fortunately they never panicked and their all world net-minder had something to do with that, as he posted a 54 save night. Trocheck who did his best Josh Hart impression by logging 35 minutes of ice time, Shesterkin and their teammates never gave up on this game and wrestled victory from what seemed to be the jaws of certain defeat.

There were several players who showed out tonight beyond Shesterkin and Trocheck. Adam Fox was seemingly everywhere and had a few looks at scoring in OT himself. Braden Schneider and Ryan Lindgren were fabulous on defense. Will Cuylle played his best game of the playoffs. Alexis Lafreniere scored not one but two excellent goals en route to another strong all around game. And of course Chris Kreider came through when it mattered most, tying the game in the third.

While I could go on praising the team all night, and am probably leaving a few out, it’s too hard to think it all through right now. The emotions of the night take a draining toll, but one well worth paying. The Worlds Most Famous Arena roared more than once throughout the night, though none louder than the winner. When the puck went in my row on the bridge went into wild celebrations, ending in a dog pile falling over the seats. The sturdy Chase Bridge even shook under our feet. It was a moment that all of us will never forget where we were to witness.

The job is far from over and the Rangers have things to fix in their game…but much like the Knicks Monday night, it’s a lot better to adjust after a win. Puck management and zone exits will be the two key areas of focus going into game three. This 2-0 series lead presents the Blueshirts with a chance to gain a stranglehold on this series in Raleigh. It should be another absolute battle, heck it seems to be every night for the Rangers and the Knicks. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. Right now it feels like these two teams hold the city in the palm of their hands and its population would follow them to the end of the earth and back. Let’s keep the good times rolling!

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