When you think of the league’s current elite you think of the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Once the regular season ends, these teams will be the favorites to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup in June. There’s no arguing that.
But the NHL is unlike many of the top leagues in North America. Hockey is a game of split-second decisions and uncontrollable variables; therefore, anything can happen. The best team doesn’t always win.
Just a couple of seasons ago we saw the Los Angeles Kings become the first eighth-seeded team to win the Cup. I’m not suggesting they weren’t the best team in those playoffs—because they were—but rather that the teams expected to win don’t always actually win.
And that’s why teams sacrifice everything they’ve got just to reach the second season. It makes for some unbelievable hockey down the stretch and also grooms teams into contenders.
On the surface, the New York Rangers may not look like contenders. The way they’ve been playing, though, is evidence tha ...
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Article written by Andrew Capitelli
Are the New York Rangers 2014 Stanley Cup Contenders?
February 28th, 2014 by Andrew Capitelli Leave a reply »
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