BUFFALO – As Brendan Shanahan sees it, the challenge confronting the Rangers as they move into the second round of the NHL playoffs won’t be so much the Sabres’ speed, skill, depth or goaltending as it will be the Blueshirts’ ability to surmount adversity when it arrives.
“I like the way we played against Atlanta, and I think it builds a good foundation for us, but we never faced any real adversity in that series, and so we have to make sure we respond correctly when it arrives against Buffalo, as I expect it will,” Shanahan said before the Rangers flew here to open the series tonight. “There’s always going to be a blip; we’re the only team that swept the first round, so the other seven that advanced had blips they had to overcome.
“There were a lot of tests that we might have had against Atlanta that we didn’t face, so we have to expect them in this round against a better team. You have to be prepared for something to go wrong because it happens to everyone. The difference is, the really good teams don’t let it snowball.
“When it happens to us, our resolve, unity and belief system are going to be tested.”
Off since completing the sweep of Atlanta a week ago tonight, the Rangers were spirited on the ice and light-hearted in the room, ready to compete.
“There was a lot of excitement and a lot of anxiety out there,” said Tom Renney, who directed five-on-three power-play work at the end of the session. “They want to play.”
The Rangers don’t appear to have as many weapons as the Sabres, but they do have a realistic sense of confidence and accomplishment off their work since the trade deadline. They don’t seem willing to yield an inch to the Sabres, who led the NHL with 53 victories (10 in shootouts) and 308 goals.
“We’re not pretending anything,” Renney said. “We’re probably at the apex of our game. If we can sustain that, we have a good chance of winning.”
Shanahan has competed in 32 playoff series, winning 19 and losing 13, capturing three Stanley Cup titles. Though the Cup is hoisted in June, the winger believes the championship actually can be won in April.
“Sometimes you can have your toughest moment in the first round or the second round,” said Shanahan, who should benefit from having a week between games. “You look back and can identify a game or a specific scenario that took place in an early round as your moment of truth.
“For the better teams, better competition will bring out their best. You don’t necessarily have to raise your level of play, but you have to be able to sustain it.
“People look at it and see a progression from one round to the next where it all builds to a crescendo in the Finals, but it doesn’t always happen that way.
“Sometimes it’s a matter of finding your level and sustaining it.”