From The Record’s Andrew Gross, after Rangers coach Alain Vigneault spoke to reporters today:
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AV says 2014 #NYR closer to winning Cup than his 2011 Canucks, who took Bruins to Game 7 of Cup Final.
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) June 16, 2014
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Vigneault also adds that loss to Kings will "haunt" the Rangers.
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) June 16, 2014
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On the one hand, it’s a bit odd to say the 2014 Rangers came closer than the 2011 Canucks, given Vancouver went into the Stanley Cup Final versus the Bruins as the heavy favorite and had two chances to clinch, losing both Game 6 in Boston and Game 7 at home. New York was also outshot by a combined margin of 194-146 in the five games against the Kings, so it’s not like the Rangers were done in by a hot goalie or anything.
On the other hand, the Rangers lost three games in overtime at Staples Center, and they had leads in all three, twice by a score of 2-0. The Canucks, in contrast, were outscored by a remarkable 18 goals (21-3) in their four losses to the Bruins. So we can see Vigneault’s point.
“I think we really put our best foot forward,” said Vigneault about this year’s Rangers squad, per Blueshirts United. “We left it all out on the ice, tried our best, lost in five. It’s a tough loss, one that will haunt me and my group for some time now, but I’m hoping we’re going to learn from this. Every year is different. Next year’s team is going to be different. We have a good young foundation, though. We have some real good people in that dressing room.”