Evan: Rangers are checking all the boxes of potential playoff collapse
The Rangers have lost two straight games after taking a 3-0 series lead, and Evan says the warning signs leading to an epic collapse are starting to show themselves.
To open Tuesday's show, Evan listed the symptoms of a collapse, and believes the Blueshirts are checking all the boxes.
"There are some warning signs that a collapse, or a choke, is upon us…number one, when these two teams have played at even strength the entire series, the Hurricanes have been the better team," Evan said. "Number two, going back to game one, the Hurricanes have outshot the Rangers, or have been even in shot attempts, in every period and overtime frame since the second period of game one…that's just a fact. Those are numbers. You can't argue them.
"The Ranger power play, which was such a strength early in this postseason, that has collapsed. Since Vincent Trocheck's game winner in game two, the Rangers are 0-for-8 with the man advantage. Their power play has been soft. It's been weak."
In addition to what has been happening on the ice over the last two games, Evan says the Rangers have a history of coughing up big series leads, and while it hasn't been a 3-0 lead blown, there is a past of tripping up after getting out to a fast start.
"This core of Rangers, they have a resume. You know what their resume features? Two collapses," Evan said. "Not a 3-0 collapse, but they've had two collapses. When the Rangers had a lead in game three up 2-0 over the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final and they blew that series…it was a collapse…last year, against the New Jersey Devils, they had them. We all thought they had them. Shaun whipped out a broom…and they collapsed. So this core - different head coach, so I'm not putting it on him - but this core has a resume of blowing leads."
Still, while the signs are there, Evan believes New York will ultimately find a way to avoid an all-time embarrassment.
"I do not believe the Rangers will be the fifth team in the history of the National Hockey League to blow a 3-0 lead," Evan said.
