The New York Rangers were poised to make a deep run in the NHL playoffs. They had a record of 47-22-13 for 107 points. This team even acquired Patrick Kane on February 28th to boost their chances. It wasn’t enough as the New Jersey Devils beat them in the first-round, costing Head Coach Gerard Gallant his job.
Gallant finished his second season with the Rangers. Last season, the Rangers skated to a 52-24-6 record for 110 points. The Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. There they faced Tampa Bay. The Rangers even held a 2-0 series lead outscoring Tampa Bay 9-4. Tampa Bay though stormed back to win the next 4 to win the series 4-2.
This season the Rangers’ expectations were even higher. They knew getting to the playoffs wasn’t enough. They were looking to win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994. The last time the Rangers were in the Finals was in 2014 but they were beaten in 5 games by the Kings.
In the playoff series loss to the Devils, the Rangers looked strong through two games, going up 2-0. They scored 10 goals while allowing 2. The Devils took control of the series, winning the next three, outscoring the Rangers 9 to 2. Game 6 was a must-win for the Rangers forcing game 7. They took that game 5-2. In game 7, their season came to a close as they were defeated 4-0.
It was a disappointing series loss for them. The Rangers thought they had the team to make a deeper run in the postseason. The Rangers’ power play didn’t generate a lot of offense in the series. It seemed anytime they set it up, the Devils took the puck away and shot it to the other end of the ice killiing time. The Rangers scored on 17.9% of their power play chances. That doomed them in the series.
Once game 7 was over, the Rangers took their time to decide Gallant’s future. In the end, they decided to dismiss him after two years. According to lohud.com, Rangers team President and General manager Chris Drury said, “I have a ton of respect for Gerard as both a coach and person and truly appreciate everything he did for us on and off the ice these last two seasons. After my evaluation of the season and discussions with Gerard, we mutually came to the conclusion that a change would be beneficial for both parties. I wish he and his family all the best in the future. Our search for a new head coach will begin right away.”.
The Rangers didn’t give Gallant enough time. He lasted two years with a record 99-46-19. It just seemed like it was Stanley Cup or bust for this team. Gallant deserved at least one more year. The Rangers thought this was best for the franchise.
The Rangers will now start looking for a new Head Coach. There is a lot of pressure on the next one to win a Cup. If the Rangers don’t have success, it could be right back to the drawing board.
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