For the first time in 20 years, the New York Rangers are heading to the Stanley Cup finals.
Backed by Henrik Lundqvist's 18-save shutout and Dominic Moore's second-period goal, New York grabbed a 1-0 Game 6 victory over the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference finals from Madison Square Garden.
The Blueshirts marched through the Eastern Conference with a seven-game victory over the Flyers in the first round and a rally from a 3-1 deficit to the Penguins in the second, before downing Montreal in an Original Six matchup to punch their ticket to the Cup finals since last winning it all in 1994.
That Stanley Cup series saw the Mark Messier-led Rangers end a 54-year dry spell when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games for their fourth championship.
Up next for New York will be either the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings when the Stanley Cup finals begin next Wednesday. The Kings lead that series 3-2, with Game 6 set for Friday in Los Angeles.
Dustin Tokarski, who started the final five games in net for the Canadiens after Carey Price went down with an injury in Game 1, did all he could in this game as he made 31 saves, but it wasn't quite enough to get Montreal back to the Cup finals since the team last won it all in 1993.
[SportsNetwork.com]
