The combination of Henrik Lundqvist and Derick Brassard has put the New York Rangers in the same situation as last series, hosting Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. But in this round, the stakes are a little higher, as the winner advances for the chance to take home Lord Stanley’s Cup.
After coming back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Washington Capitals, the Rangers faced elimination during Game 6 at Amalie Arena before posting a dominant 7-3 win. Lundqvist stopped 36 shots while Brassard finished with a +5 and five points—the first player to do so in the playoffs since Wayne Gretzky and Tomas Sandstrom in 1990. Brassard scored the first postseason hat trick for the Rangers since Mark Messier registered one in Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
With Rangers playoffs tickets being some of the most expensive in the NHL, Game 7 continues the trend on Friday, May 29. The average price for entrance into Madison Square Garden to see the Rangers possibly advance for a chance at a Stanley cup is $1,232.25, with a get-in price of $506. For comparison’s sake, Game 7 for the Western Conference finals series between the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks has an average price of $401.76, with a get-in price of $159 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, according to TiqIQ.com.
With exorbitant prices of Game 7, fans on either side going to the game can save on Madison Square parking through ParkWhiz.com. New York City parking starts from $14 on the night of the game, which will be a scene during a spring Friday night in the country’s most popular city.
The Rangers are now 4-0 in elimination games this postseason and jumping to 5-0 would have the team playing for the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons. Last season, the Rangers lost the series 4-1 to the Los Angeles Kings, who won their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.
For the Lightning, one positive was the continued strong play from their star, Steven Stamkos. Stamkos has a goal and an assist, accounting for two of the three points the Lightning tallied during the blowout loss. Stamkos became the first player with a goal in four straight games of a playoff series against the Rangers since Mario Lemieux wreaked havoc in the 1996 Eastern Conference semifinals.
