But the Rangers had snapped a four-game losing streak the night before with a 4-0 win at the Capital Centre, keeping themselves remarkably alive in the playoff race. Despite playing without Brian Leetch (out for the year after breaking his ankle in mid-March under mysterious late-night circumstances), despite an injury-plagued and awful season for Mark Messier (in which he basically got Roger Neilson fired, and would eventually be booed mercilessly at the Garden), the Rangers came into this game against Hartford just one point -- one measly point -- behind the Islanders for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Patrick Division. And they'd lead the Whalers 4-2 with 15:00 to play in the game, with goals from Mike Gartner, rookie Alexei Kovalev, Tony Amonte, and Messier.
But Hartford would win this one 5-4 on a Pat Verbeek goal, a five-holer from the right circle past John Vanbiesbrouck (which wrote his ticket out of town) after Geoff Sanderson and Mikael Nylander had tied it, sending the Rangers reeling once again. The loss began a seven-game season-ending losing streak, and one year after the Rangers won the President's Trophy, they would finish last in the Patrick Division -- behind even the Flyers, who had gutted their team over the summer to acquire Eric Lin...oh, sorry, right, invoke not Larry Bertuzzi...
Hard to believe, but just one year later, the Rangers would have 50 wins and be on the verge of clinching their second President's Trophy in three years.
Mike (Although -- if the package of Tony Amonte, Alexei Kovalev, John Vanbiesbrouck, Doug Weight, first-round picks in 1993 and 1995, and $12M had been allowed -- imagine how whacked-out different history would be) Fornabaio -- mef17@oocities.com
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