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The Knicks and Rangers defend their home turf, each taking a 2-0 series lead (with a little drama along the way).
It's not a series until the home team loses. So I guess neither of these series have started yet. Both Garden teams won their opening pair of playoff games at home and will head out on the road for a pair of pivotal Game 3's on Thursday and Friday.
New York Rangers
The Games
East Quarterfinals Game 1 | Win 4-1 vs. Capitals | Lead the series 1-0
The 1st period was pretty choppy, with 6 minor penalties (most of them pretty soft) called in the opening 20 minutes of the game. The slow, uneventful start was exactly what the Capitals wanted, but the Rangers never seemed to panic or get frustrated. They had a few good chances on their 2 power plays, but nothing connected. Their penalty kill was immaculate. At the intermission, they led 7-4 in shots after a pretty boring beginning to the postseason.
The 2nd period flipped that narrative on its head, with the Rangers striking for 3 goals in just 2:06 to break the game wide open. The first strike came from MSG folk hero Matt Rempe, who used his size to clear out the front of the net and bury a beautiful pass from Jimmy Vesey to send the Garden into a frenzy. On the very next shift, Alexis Lafrenière caused a turnover by crunching Capitals defenseman Vincent Iorio with a massive hit. Trocheck scooped up the available puck and fed it to the Breadman for a beautiful goal. Then the 4th line was at it again, as Barclay Goodrow won the face off, Matt Rempe used his size to set a questionable pick, and Jimmy Vesey buried a weird one that seemed to deflect off maybe a stick and a helmet, catching goaltender Charlie Lindgren way out of position. The Capitals briefly quieted the Garden Party as a Tom "anal bead" Wilson point shot deflected off of both of Mika Zibanejad's skates and alluded Shesterkin. A very eventful period ended with the Rangers leading 3-1.
The 3rd period was an absolute clinic from the Rangers in how to defend a lead. They held the Capitals to just 6 shots for the entire 20-minute frame, giving up absolutely nothing. The Capitals got more and more frustrated, with Tom "foot fungus" Wilson at one point slashing Igor in the back and punching two Rangers players before being given the boot. Oh, and Mika sprung his best buddy Chris Kreider for a breakaway to put the Blueshirts up 4-1 with 3:43 to play. Game over. A mature, business-like win by the better team in the series.
East Quarterfinals Game 2 | Win 4-3 vs. Capitals | Lead the series 2-0
The desperate Capitals came out like gangbusters to begin Game 2, seemingly spending more time in the offensive zone during the first 5 minutes of this one than they did for all of Game 1. And sure enough, Connor McMichael struck to put Washington ahead just 5:09 into the game, quieting the Garden crowd. But the resilient Rangers answered just over 2 minutes later, when Vincent Trocheck tipped in a drive from the point and tied the score. Later in the period, Mika Zibanejad fired a rocket that deflected off a defenders glove and into the net to give the Rangers the 2-1 lead. Despite at one point being outshot 7-2, the Rangers went to the locker room with a 12-7 edge in shots and the 1-goal advantage. No panic in this team.
Questionable officiating defined this game again, and Matt Rempe was sent to the box for a debatable roughing call early in the 2nd period. Of course, the Capitals struck on the ensuing power play to tie things up and cause my remote to go flying across the room. The game stayed tied for 8 pretty chippy back-and-forth minutes. After John Carlson took a cross-checking penalty, Jack Roslovic buried a rare second-unit power play goal with a filthy top-shelf snipe. The good vibes were temporarily halted when Erik Gustafsson put the puck over the glass and took a delay of game penalty. Crazy that the refs can let elbows to the head and high sticks to the face go uncalled and then let these dumb penalties alter playoff games. But anyway, the Rangers didn't let it get them flustered, as Mika Zibanejad stole the puck from a pedestrian Alex Ovechkin, then initiated a crazy shorthanded passing play which ended in a K'Andre Miller shorty to take a 4-2 lead into the intermission.
Three things happened in the 3rd period worth mentioning. First, Artemi Panarin absolutely leveled TJ Oshie with an uncharacteristic huge hit. I don't think I've ever seen Panarin hit anyone before, but he was pissed at Oshie all game for being an annoying pest. Seriously, he's annoying that I might start rooting for Team Russia in the Olympics if they are ever allowed back. The hit was clean, but the Capitals retaliated and took a penalty. The Rangers could have put the game away by scoring on the power play, but they didn't. As Logan Roy would say, "You've got to be a killer!" Later in the period, the Rangers took a comical too many men on the ice penalty, sending the Caps to the power play and of course Tom "bag of dildos" Wilson scored to get within one goal. Nothing is ever easy, is it? Well, because you've made it this far, you know that the Rangers survived and won the game. But it was full butthole clenching mode for the last 2 minutes. Vesey missed at an open net, took an icing, and the Capitals peppered us with shots and failed clears for what seemed like an eternity. The clock finally saved us and we got out of there with the win. I was in a full sweat from my couch in Connecticut and needed to walk around outside to cool down. Playoffs, baby!
The Series So Far
What I'm Feeling Good About
The stars are cooking (Mika especially looked great in Game 2).
We didn't panic after the Capitals jumped out to an early lead in Game 2.
Our bottom 6 forwards are just so much better than the Caps depth.
Ovechkin has 1 shot on goal the entire series. He looks disinterested.
Our 8 goals have been scored by 8 different players, reminding me of the Monopoly game in which Kirk got one property in every color group, plus all four railroads, and refused to trade with anyone.
What I'm Biting My Nails About
It's the fucking playoffs, I'm a nervous wreck no matter what.
Tom "yeast infection" Wilson might actually try to murder one of our players.
I hope it isn't Panarin after his big hit on Oshie.
We were up 2-0 in the last two playoff series we lost, so ya know...
The officiating has been god awful. I'm not even sure which team it has benefitted, but I genuinely don't know what is penalty and what isn't.
The Play of the Week
Man, it's hard not to pick Rempe's playoff-opening goal. But I think this beautiful shorthanded sequence from Game 2 tops it.
New York Knicks
The Games
Eastern Quarterfinals Game 1 | Win 111-104 vs. Sixers | Lead the series 1-0
It wasn't the start that the Garden crowd was hoping for, as the Knicks came out looking pretty sluggish and falling into an early 13-point hole. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey really dominated the early minutes in this one, but bolstered by some solid defense by Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks eventually settled down and started to chip into the deficit — trailing by 9 after the opening 12 minutes.
The 2nd quarter saw a dramatic turnaround, with the Knicks coming alive and outscoring the Sixers 33-12. Miles McBride provided a huge spark off the bench, eventually finishing with 21 points and 5 crucial three-pointers. Embiid appeared to hurt his knee after an alley-oop to himself off the backboard. He briefly left the game, opening things up for Bogdanovic and Robinson who also contributed to the comeback. By halftime, the Knicks had built a solid 12-point lead and got the crowd fired up.
The rollercoaster ride returned from halftime, as Embiid shook off the earlier injury and rallied the Sixers on an offensive surge that quickly erased the Knicks' lead. Led once again by Embiid and Maxey, Philadelphia went back up by 6, exploiting some lackadaisical defense and pushing the tempo out of the Knicks' comfort zone. The quarter ended with the Knicks trailing 82-79 and needing to find an answer.
If you've watched the Knicks at all this year, what came next shouldn't have been a surprise. They have a ton of grit and resolve, and that's exactly what was on display in the 4th quarter. Robinson, and Bogdanovic returned to the floor and immediately impacted the game. Key baskets from McBride, including a critical three-pointer, and Bogdanovic's sharpshooting helped the Knicks reclaim the lead. Then Josh Hart decided he'd had enough of this shit and hit Philly with a few daggers from behind the arc. The bench mismatch led to the Knicks winning the 4th quarter 32-22 and locking up a dramatic Game 1 victory.
Eastern Quarterfinals Game 2 | Win 104-101 vs. Sixers | Lead the series 2-0
It was another rough start for the Knicks, as Philadelphia sprinted out of the gates desperate to even up the series. Tyrese Maxey hit 3 consecutive shots from behind the arc to establish an early 9-0 lead. The Knicks couldn't find any rhythm, with Embiid's physical presence pushing the Sixers' lead to double digits at times.
The 2nd quarter continued to be an uphill battle for New York, but eventually they started to make a bit of a run. Josh Hart brought the energy with 7 straight points, including a three-pointer that brought the Knicks within 3 points. The Sixers, however, managed to cling to their lead thanks to frustratingly clutch shots by Embiid and Maxey. The half ended with the Sixers holding a slight edge, 53-49, as tensions flared with Embiid drawing a technical foul after a confrontation with DiVincenzo. The Knicks started to find their stride coming out of halftime, with the game remaining tightly contested as both teams traded baskets. Then New York's defense stepped up, getting a few crucial stops and allowing the Knicks to finally wrestle away the lead. Despite this, Maxey never quite let the Knicks pull away and the quarter ended with New York leading by just 5.
They would eventually build up and then blow an 8-point lead in the 4th quarter setting up an insane finish. Down by 5 with 30 seconds left, Brunson hit an ugly but crucial three-pointer to reduce the deficit to 2. Following an unbelievable steal from Hart on the inbounds pass, DiVincenzo missed and then made a critical three-pointer after a scramble for the rebound, putting the Knicks ahead by 1. Defensive stops by Hartenstein and free throws by Anunoby clinched the game. The Knicks’ stunning 104-101 victory was sealed when Embiid missed a potential tying three-pointer at the buzzer, giving New York a 2-0 series lead in a dramatic finish that had Madison Square Garden absolutely pissing themselves.
The Series So Far
What I'm Feeling Good About
We are getting key contributions from the bench.
It feels like the Sixers gave us their best effort and still lost.
Offensive rebounding. 23 boards turned into 26 second-chance points in Game 1.
Hart has been a maniac, playing all 48 minutes in Game 2 and putting up back-to-back 20+ point performances.
I mean, how can you not love how resilient these guys are?
What I'm Biting My Nails About
We looked half asleep in the 1st quarter of both games so far.
They are doing a good job against Brunson, who has struggled.
Pissed off Embiid is frightening. Even banged up, he is so freaking good.
Maxey has been unbelievable. It seems like he can do whatever he wants.
This series could have very easily been 0-2 the other way. Far from over.
The Play of the Week
Does it get any better than this?
Garden Memory
Talked my dad into buying tickets to a second round Game 7 vs. the Capitals in 2012. As soon as my butt hit my seat, this happened. I'm 2-0 in Game 7's at the Garden so if anyone wants to pay for me to go to the next one, you know where to find me.
Sphere Watch
The Phish 4/20 spectacular looked like a helluva time. I'm sure everyone was of clear mind at this one. The Walgreen's next to the Venetian reported a 620% increase in sales of patchouli oil and Flamin' Hot Cheetos.