Sal goes off on caller burying Rangers, says New York will still win series

Many Rangers fans woke up Friday morning with a sense of dread after their team dropped game five to the Panthers at home to be pushed to the brink of elimination.

But Sal says this is where New York thrives, and has been at its best all year. So while many have lamented another season that potentially falls short of a Stanley Cup appearance, Sal says the Rangers are still winning this series.

"This series is far from over," Sal said. "I thought the Rangers would win last night, so I was disappointed. I was angry…but I said, even if they were to lose game five, I still think they're winning the series. They have earned our belief in them.

"The Rangers did some things last night that would give me encouragement moving forward. It's not like this series has been a domination one way or another…their backs are against the wall, and that's where they've been at their best all year."

Many, including BT, believe the Rangers have been thoroughly outplayed by Florida in this series, and were once again bullied in the third period in game five. But Sal sees other trends that suggest that the matchup has been much closer, and he isn't giving up on this group now.

"I still have firm reason to believe. Based on Igor Shesterkin, some of their stars starting to get going, and the penalty kill," Sal said. "They will win game six Saturday night. They will come back to game seven Monday night at the Garden, and they're not gonna lose at home again to this team."

A caller pushed back hard on Sal's belief, declaring the season done because the Panthers are the better team and has controlled the puck for the majority of the series, but that set Sal off.

"It's 3-2 in this series…come on now," Sal said. "They lost 3-2 last night. 'Oh, the Rangers are terrible, they're down 3-2 in this series! They can't compete! You know what boys, don't even show up in Florida. go home. The President's Trophy means nothing, sweeping the Capitals means nothing, what you did to Carolina, who everyone said you couldn't beat, that means nothing either. Igor Shesterkin, the best goalie in the world, means nothing…pack it in, because Florida controls the puck. You're down 3-2, it's over.' OK."