Bantering Points: 4/23/17

Backed by the best goaltender in the world, the New York Rangers eliminated Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens from the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night, pulling out a 3-1 victory to advance to the second round. With the Canadiens now in the rear view mirror, New York will turn their attention to the series between the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, as the winner of that series will determine which team that earned less points during the regular season will be hosting the Rangers in round two. Anyway, here are today's news and links:

Rangers News:

• Highlights: NYR 3, MTL 1 (5:01 Video via NHL.com)
• Game Recap: Much like the rest of the series, Henrik Lundqvist outplayed Carey Price en route to handing Claude Julien and his merry band of grinders a one-way ticket to the putting greens (CBS)
• Lenn Robbins details how some inspirational words from Mats Zuccarello during the first intermission rallied the team to a series-clinching second period effort (NY Post)
• Robbins also noticed that nearly two years after his hockey career almost ended, Zuccarello was the star of the show for the Blueshirts (NY Post)
• Mark Herrmann reflects on how the fruits of Glen Sather's labor would make Knicks fans envious (Newsday)
• Neil Best highlights that when the Rangers needed Henrik Lundqvist, he was there for the umpteenth time (Newsday)
• Alessandro Seren Rosso believes that New York's most recent signee, defenseman Alexei Bereglazov, is ready to make an impact in the NHL (The Hockey Writers)
• Scott Charles offers his thoughts on the team's 3-1 series-clinching victory from Madison Square Garden (Blueshirt Bulletin)
• Timothy Haggerty illustrates that after some slight personnel adjustments, the fourth line of Michael Grabner, Oscar Lindberg, and Jesper Fast has been one of New York's best (Blue Line Station)
• Postgame Notes: The Rangers' win last night sets them on a path to either determine the winner of the Brassard-Zibanejad trade, or renew their rivalry with an old flame (Official Team Site)
• Postgame Interviews: Alain Vigneault,(6:08) Brendan Smith,(2:35) Dan Girardi,(2:03) Jimmy Vesey,(0:53) Marc Staal,(1:51) The King,(3:07) Derek Stepan,(1:04) Ryan McDonagh,(0:30) and Mats Zuccarello (1:42)/

Around the NHL:

• After four seasons in the KHL, Ilya Kovalchuk has made it known that he wants to return to the NHL (Sportsnet)
• James O'Brien reports that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, and Washington Capitals goaltender have been named the finalists for the Vezina Trophy (NBC Sports)
• Scott Cullen breaks down why the Edmonton Oilers were able to advance to the second round of the playoffs, and why the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild fell short (TSN)/