Rangers win historic seventh playoff game in a row in dramatic fashion

Mika Zibanejad tallied his 12th point of the postseason on an assist to Chris Kreider who scored a shorthanded goal in the second period. Zibanejad’s 12th point tied a club record for the most points at this stage of the postseason (h/t The New York Post).

Through three games in this series, Zibanejad has notched five total points, including a three-point performance in Game 1. He’s netted two goals and dished three assists so far in the series.

Artemi Panarin joins elite Rangers company with another heroic playoff moment

It was, of course, Artemi Panarin who came up big in the first overtime period, scoring a between-the-legs goal to lift the Rangers over the Hurricanes on Thursday night. This was Panarin’s fourth goal of the postseason.

All four of Panarin’s goals in the postseason have been game-winners. His four goals have now tied two franchise legends, Brian Leetch and Mark Messier, for the most game-winning-goals in a postseason from a Ranger (h/t Big Head Hockey). Panarin is truly cementing himself as an all-time great with the franchise.

The Rangers are looking to repeat history

The Rangers entered this series as underdogs to a strong Carolina Hurricanes team whose penalty kill ranked first in the NHL in the regular season. But three games into the series, the Blueshirts haven’t given an inch and hold a commanding lead over Carolina. Now, instead of thinking about ways to squeak out a win in a long series, Rangers fans are thinking sweep.

Only twice have the Rangers gotten off to a 7-0 start in the postseason. The last time they did it was in 1994 — which is also the last time they won the Stanley Cup. The Rangers are in the midst of a magical postseason run. If they continue to play at this level, maybe they really could make history repeat itself.