– We knew it wouldn’t be easy. We tried to come with everything we had but it was simply not enough today, says a disappointed Mika Zibanejad after the exit according to AP.
Afterward, the Prince of Wales trophy was lifted onto the ice for becoming champions of the Eastern Conference. Last year, Florida broke with tradition and touched the trophy. They let it be this year.
– We touched on it last year and it didn’t work out for us. So we did it a different way this year, said Florida captain Sam Bennett of Sunrise, Florida.
After 14 seasons in the NHL, Oliver Ekman-Larsson finally gets to play in the Stanley Cup final.
– I don’t really understand, it’s so damn fun, says the 32-year-old to Aftonbladet.
The final series begins on June 8
The Rangers won the regular season and for the 11th year in a row, the team that was the best going into the playoffs will not get to lift the Stanley Cup trophy.
– Nobody expected to be on this side of it. “We expected to come here tonight, win a hockey game and take it back to Madison Square Garden for a Game 7. So there’s a disappointment that we’re trying to deal with right now,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said.
Only the Stanley Cup dent counts this year for Florida, which is chasing its first dent after two Finals losses in 1996 and 2023. Last year, it lost the Finals series to the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1. This year’s final series against either Dallas or Edmonton (is 2-3) begins on June 8.