Sometimes, you just get beat by a better team. The Rangers and Panthers played the overwhelming majority of their Eastern Conference Final either tied or within a goal, but this was not like the Rangers win over Carolina the prior series. Florida was overwhelmingly dominant throughout, but this time it wasn’t just at 5v5. They scored on close to 50% of their powerplays and shut down the Rangers powerplay.

This time around, Igor Shesterkin couldn’t do it on his own.

If you’re looking for a specific player or coach to blame, then pick whomever you wish. Jacob Trouba, Peter Laviolette, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin, Jack Roslovic. The list goes on. The only person that shouldn’t be touched in the blame game is Igor Shesterkin.

This is my way of saying it was a team loss. There is no one specific player to blame. But sometimes, you just need to be angry or upset. So go for it.

As we said at the beginning of the playoffs, if we are having these kinds of conversations, then something went wrong. In this case, it’s not just one thing, it’s many things. The powerplay ran cold at the worst possible time. Adam Fox’s injury was hurting him on the ice. They missed Jimmy Vesey more than we thought. The lineup decisions were questionable. The lack of adjustments from players and coaching staff alike were disappointing.

But perhaps the worst part was this could have been different if a bounce went one way or another for the Rangers. You create your own luck, but it felt as if the Rangers couldn’t even get a bounce to go their way. Zibanejad’s crossbar in Game 5 stands out. The wild rebound behind Sergei Bobvrovsky last night as well. Sometimes, the puck doesn’t bounce your way. Add in the overall dominance by Florida, and you have a 6 game loss for the Blueshirts.

This was supposed to be the year. Instead, the Rangers bowed out in 6 games to a team that not only played better over a six game stretch, but beat the Rangers at their own game, using special teams and goaltending *on top of strong 5v5 play* to dispatch the President’s Trophy winners.

Now, we enter offseason mode. The BSB chat is filled with ideas, and I’m sure we will hear them all in due time. Until then, use this as your venting post. Please play nice in the comments. Everyone will have their people to blame. Let them. Even if you disagree, just let people vent.

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