Rangers fans buzzing over Game 7 win, sending Blueshirts to Eastern Conference Finals for first time in 7 years
NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers' season is still alive after winning Game 7 of their second round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Blueshirts now advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will play the Tampa Bay Lightning.
CBS2's Elijah Westbrook caught up with fans for their reaction.
"It's a great thing. New York all day. Go Rangers!" one fan cheered.
Between the weather and the excitement for the Rangers, things are heating up at Madison Square Garden.
"I think it's pretty awesome. It's been a while, and it's awesome they came back from 3-1 in the last set," fan Mitch Gold said.
It's a big deal for New Yorkers, whether you're a hockey fan or not.
"A close friend of mine, he's a hockey fan, so I'm here to support him," said Manhattan resident Genaro Jaramillo.
"It's a huge deal. They're ahead of schedule, they're playing with passion, they never back out of anything," fan Joe Favor said. "The team's committed to themselves. It's off the charts. We've been waiting for this for years."
The Rangers are proving to be a tough team.
Fans cheered and jumped up and down at Wolman Rink in Central Park for a watch party Monday night after the Blueshirts' overwhelming victory against the Hurricanes. It was a dominant 6-2 win in Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs.
"We're going to Tampa Bay, Florida. You guys in Florida, you be ready for us New Yorkers," said one fan. "We're coming through, and we're going to destroy you."
Fans will be back at the Garden Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay. It's their first trip to the conference finals in seven years.
"It's electric to be in the city, and I can't wait to see them go. Tampa's going down," another fan added.
But as CBS2's Otis Livingston reports, this will be an entirely different challenge for this Rangers squad. They are now facing the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, a team with way more experience.
This is a young Rangers team that nobody expected to make it this far, but two Game 7 series victories will make a neophyte team grizzled veterans in a hurry.
"We're going against a team that's done it for two straight years, and they've been to a handful of conference finals in the last whatever, five, 10 years, so it should be a good contest. It's an interesting contrast of a team that's done it before and a team kind of ... like us, kind of our first time together. They're a good team. They've done it for a reason, they've proven time and time again, but our job is to try to knock 'em off," Rangers center Ryan Strome said.
"We wanna be the best and in order to be the best, you gotta go through the best," Rangers center Barclay Goodrow said. "We still have another level where we know we can take it to. We're excited for the challenge, and we're happy we can get started right away."
Defenseman Adams Fox says the team has been fueled by the enormous sea of fans in blue.
"There seems like more Blueshirt fans the past few games here. Obviously, when you have support, it's huge," he said.
Again, the Rangers square off at MGS Wednesday night for Game 1, then again Friday before heading to Tampa for Games 3 and 4.
