NEW YORK — The Rangers played 20 of a possible 21 games in the first three rounds of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. They would win each one of those series, including fighting back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The more New York got hyped for its Blueshirts last spring, the more draining the night-in, night-out physical demands of playoff hockey became. Playoff beards are cool. Deep playoff bruises, fractured playoff bones and frayed playoff nerves are not as cool.
Maybe the Los Angeles Kings were just too good in the Finals last spring.