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Rangers' Disappointment in East Final Due to Presidents' Trophy Curse
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    Rangers’ Disappointment in East Final Due to Presidents’ Trophy Curse

    SUNRISE, Fla. — When it was over, Vincent Trocheck wrapped his arms around goaltender Igor Shesterkin. Mika Zibanejad took a knee along the boards, watching Florida celebrate. Some other members of the New York Rangers stared blankly, just waiting for the handshake line to form.

    The best team in the regular season isn’t going to the Stanley Cup Final — again.

    This time, that would be the Rangers. There hasn’t been a Presidents’ Trophy winner to double up with the Stanley Cup in 11 years, and New York is the latest team to find itself on the wrong end of that curse. The Rangers — the No. 1 overall seed after finishing with the most points in the regular season — lost to Florida 2-1 on Saturday night, losing the Eastern Conference final in six games.

    “There’s a disappointment that sets in. We are dealing with that right now,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “Nobody was expecting to be on this end of it. We were expecting to come here tonight, win a hockey game and bring it back to (Madison Square Garden) for a Game 7. So, there’s a disappointment.”

    The margin was so small; a six-game series and five of them were one-goal games. New York allowed Florida only 16 goals in the series. Problem was, the Rangers only scored 12.

    It was a goalie duel and New York’s Shesterkin was absurdly good — 2.25 goals-against average, .930 save percentage. But Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky matched him — 1.89 goals-against average, .921 save percentage.

    “He’s been our best player ever since he put on the Rangers jersey,” Rangers forward Chris Kreider said of Shesterkin. “We’ve been incredibly lucky to have him. … He gives us a chance to win every night.”

    Until Saturday, this East title series followed a script that ardent Rangers fans know well and would have done anything to see fully repeated: New York loses Game 1, wins Games 2 and 3, loses Games 4 and 5, then goes on the road to win Game 6 and keep the season alive.

    Such was the exact order of events in the 1994 East final, when the Rangers beat New Jersey in double overtime to win Game 7 and then went on to snap a 54-year championship drought by beating Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Final.

    Not this time.

    There were six games in this series; five of them finished as one-goal games, and Florida won the last three of them — 3-2, 3-2 and then 2-1. A bounce here, a bounce there, the whole thing might have been very different for New York.

    “Not a lot of answers right now,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. “Nobody gave up. The effort and compete was there. We just came up short.”

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    The New York Rangers’ disappointing exit from the Eastern Conference Final has left fans and players alike scratching their heads. After a dominant regular season that saw them capture the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the NHL, many had high hopes for a deep playoff run. However, the Rangers fell short, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.

    One theory that has been circulating among fans and analysts is the so-called “Presidents’ Trophy curse.” This phenomenon suggests that teams that finish the regular season with the best record often struggle in the playoffs, failing to live up to expectations and falling short of a championship.

    While there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of such a curse, there is certainly a pattern of Presidents’ Trophy winners underperforming in the postseason. In fact, since the trophy was first awarded in 1986, only eight teams have gone on to win the Stanley Cup after claiming the regular-season title.

    So why do Presidents’ Trophy winners struggle in the playoffs? One possible explanation is that these teams may become complacent after a successful regular season, feeling like they have already accomplished something significant. This can lead to a lack of urgency and intensity once the playoffs begin, allowing hungry underdog teams to capitalize on their mistakes.

    Additionally, the pressure of being the top seed can weigh heavily on players and coaches, leading to increased anxiety and a fear of failure. This can result in tight play and an inability to perform at their best when it matters most.

    For the Rangers, their disappointing playoff exit may have been a combination of factors, including injuries to key players, inconsistent goaltending, and a lack of scoring depth. While they were able to overcome these challenges in the regular season, they ultimately fell short when it mattered most.

    Moving forward, the Rangers will need to regroup and learn from their playoff disappointment. They have a talented core of players and a strong coaching staff, so there is reason to believe that they can bounce back next season and make another run at the Stanley Cup.

    In the end, while the Presidents’ Trophy curse may be nothing more than a superstition, it serves as a reminder that regular-season success does not guarantee playoff glory. The Rangers will need to stay focused, hungry, and determined if they hope to hoist the Stanley Cup in the future.