TAMPA, Fla. – Gerard Gallant does not believe in momentum.
The Rangers head coach has a philosophy of focusing on the now. What is happening today has nothing to do with yesterday. This has bled your computer, and now you are not about to change it. But even Gallant had to make a small concession on Saturday.
“We are playing well,” he said before the Eastern Conference Final 3 match on Sunday against Lightning. “We are playing our best hockey of the last four games. I would agree with that.
“Are you coming back tomorrow? I don’t believe in that. “
Impulse or not, the Rangers, who lead the Lightning 2-0 in the series, seem to have found something in themselves that few outside the room believed they had. They are just two wins away from being Eastern Conference champions for the first time since 2014 and have played their most convincing hockey of those playoffs during their last four games, all victories, in which they beat the Hurricanes 5-2. and 6-2. before beating Lightning 6-2, 3-2.
Rangers center Tyler Motte congratulates goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin.USA TODAY Sports
No one expects Tampa Bay, the two-time Stanley Cup defender, to come down easily. But these Rangers have lightning against the ropes.
“I don’t know if it’s as much match-driven momentum as maybe it’s confidence,” said Tyler Motte, a day after a magnificent second-game performance. “Obviously we have a lot of guys who are playing well, which is great for our group with the trip, with the different series, different opponents, different buildings, sometimes you have to gain momentum and start every night. But I think confidence has definitely been passed from one party to another. “
Brick by brick, that confidence has been building up throughout the postseason as the Rangers rose to the ground to regain the 3-1 and 2-0 series disadvantages in the first two rounds. His first game win over Tampa Bay marked the first time in the playoffs that they had led a series before the last game. You would never know by looking at them.
For two games in New York, the Rangers flew around the ice, controlling the game without a doubt. No one has done this to the Lightning for a series of seven games since 2019. The Rangers are not there yet, and on Sunday afternoon at the Amalie Arena there will be another test, in front of an audience on the road and against a opponent who knows exactly what is there. to the line.
But with every passing game, the evidence has built up that there could be something special about this Rangers team. Ask Gallant about his confidence and he will tell you the team’s 27 comeback victories.
“Quitting smoking is the perfect setting for us,” he said. “We just kept working and finding a way. We did it [it] enough times this year that we’re going to build trust with this group. “
All professional sports teams broadcast similar clichés about themselves at one time or another. The Rangers seem to be one of those weird groups that will be able to back it up and prove that their words are more than just an empty slogan.
“I think we always want to compete,” Motte said. “We always want to be in battle, especially with each other. I think you see it all at once, in different ways. Look at the end of a game, there’s a scrum and we’re all rolling in it. We’re all taking care of each other. others “.
This scene was repeated at the end of the games throughout the Carolina series. Against Tampa Bay, he has played after whistles over and over again.
“There are a lot of different ways that this group fights and fights for each other,” Motte said. “It’s special to be a part of it, just to have it a little rooted in our DNA.”
Of course, everything is still in front of the Rangers. There is still the next day, the next period, the next turn. And it will all be in vain if they now take their eyes off the ball.
“There really is a goal in mind,” Motte said. “And if everyone is pushing towards that goal, you’re likely to be more successful.”