As Saturday begins an unprecedented time in New York, with all five winter sports teams competing in the playoffs starting with the Knicks and Nets, Joe Benigno says four of the five teams have nothing to lose in their respective postseasons.
The other has all the pressure in the world to deliver.
"Of the five winter teams that are playing in the playoffs, the team with the most pressure is the Rangers," Joe said. "It's not even debatable.
"If the Rangers go one and done and lose a first-round series to the Devils, which is highly possible…the Rangers have to win. Enough now. If they go down in flames to the Devils in the first round, that's a disaster."
New York draws rival New Jersey in the first round, a team that boasts plenty of speed and youthful star power, along with one of the most impactful trade deadline acquisitions in Timo Meier. But the Blueshirts made a few big splashes of their own before the deadline, and Joe says that the team's aggressive moves coupled with their playoff history means that this team has to go out and get it done.
"You bring in Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko…this team should win a Cup," Joe said. "It's time. If you're a Ranger fan, you gotta be sick and tired of making the playoffs just about every year, and never winning.
"You could basically say everybody else is playing with house money."
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