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The New York Rangers made their intentions clear last off-season when they acquired Chris Drury and Scott Gomez through free agency. In the past, the Rangers break the bank philosophy in free agency produced marginal players or superstars that brought their massive egos with them. Both Gomez and Drury are proven veteran leaders and Stanley Cup champions.

The Rangers also kept their own foundation of players intact bringing back key performers Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, and Sean Avery. The team also extended the contract of goalie Henrik Lundqvist a two-time Vezina Trophy finalist through the 2013-14 season. The Rangers were now ready to make their Stanley Cup run.

The regular season produced mixed results and inconsistent play. Head coach Tom Renney struggled to find the right line combinations. Finally, during the push to get in the playoffs at the end of the year the Rangers began to gel.

The New York Rangers 1st round opponent was the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers disposed of the Devils 4-1 in their best-of-seven series without breaking a sweat. The Rangers were able to get ahead in games rendering the Devils defensive trap game plan useless.

The Rangers don't know their Conference Semi-final opponent but they do understand the team commitment it will take to beat them. It is no surprise that this team of veterans has embraced and performed well in their individual roles. Jagr and Gomez have provided the offense, Drury and Shanahan rock solid defense, and Sean Avery the antagonist that no one likes unless you're his teammate.

The Rangers potential opponents are the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, or Washington Capitals. None of those teams have problems scoring unlike the offensively challenged Devils. The Rangers will need to play better team defense and lean on the heroics of Lundqvist to advance beyond the next round.

The prediction is that the Rangers will play the Pittsburgh Penguins. This will be a tough series with both teams determined to drink from Lord Stanley's Cup. The difference will be Lundqvist and the Rangers will win the series 4-2.

Learn more about this author, Daniel Reinard.
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