That’s what is setting in across “Rangerland” after Thursday’s 3-2 Game Five loss. I won’t lie, this isn’t going to be one of the usual fun reads we feature on this site. But if you put your heart and soul into the game like I did last night, then I think you get where I’m coming from. It had promise early, they took the lead, and in the end they didn’t have enough to get it done. We could play the “single out the individual performance” game til the cows come home. Some guys had better nights, others didn’t. Every Blueshirt had at one point or another, a chance to affect the game and like just about every predecessor of theirs in this team’s history, they came up a day late and a dollar short.

Their opponent is clearly an outstanding team, and rightfully earns their praise, even if it’s difficult to listen to the ESPN telecast at its worst. When the Rangers have put their best foot forward, the Panthers have matched or surpassed it. When the Panthers have to have a prolonged stretch to take control of the game, they find it. These teams have traded blows, much like the two out west, but in the end it seems one can’t quite keep up with the other. They’re not doing it with dynamism from their stars, much like the Rangers, as outside Barkov, Tkachuk and few others have been mostly kept out of the picture. Whether it be their relentless yet calculated forecheck, their solid D core, or their top end goalie, they just have had more going for them in this series.

There’s been a lot of talk about parallels to 1994 all spring long. Whether it was sweeping the Capitals, a miraculous third period comeback in a sixth game, heck even OJ Simpsons death was involved in this. But if you’re looking for more parallels, boy do I have bad news for you. At least in my mind, I’ve seen the Rangers lose that game several times now. A gut wrenching, close game five loss that was there for the taking if they found a way. Game five in 2012, 2015, 2022 and now 2024, are carbon copies of each other, almost down to a T. You can change the personnel but the outcome doesn’t seem to change. It may seem simplistic and silly to suggest, but with one Cup since world war two, I think we’re past seeing these as isolated occurrences.

This team has comeback all year, it’s certainly possible that they can win this series, but it feels like we’re in the end game now. I don’t take pleasure in saying that, and I hope that this is yet another wrong prediction of mine, but I don’t think it is. I have loved this group all year long and myself along with my family and friends have made memories following their every move, like I have every iteration of this team since 2010. I’ll never give that up and I’ll be hoping, heck praying, for the best come Saturday night. But no amount of 94 fairy dust or denial can cover up that gut punch of a loss. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, cause this thing feels like it’s done.

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