Roughly 15 hours after one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history, the Rangers were back at Madison Square Garden for a full-team meeting and an optional on-ice practice, before heading downstairs to Penn Station and a private train ride to Washington D.C. where the Blueshirts will look to finish off the Capitals in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals Wednesday night.
Though he admitted that his team's come-from-behind 3-2 overtime victory Monday night in Game 5 was "exciting", Rangers head coach John Tortorella also added, "I'm not going to be hugging people left and right, we still have quite a ways to go...we have a tough game tomorrow."
It was a sentiment shared by the players after practice, as the Rangers took a very workmanlike approach to leading this best-of-seven series 3-2.
"We can't be satisfied with the last game," said defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who assisted on the tying goal scored by Brad Richards with 6.6 seconds left on the clock. "I know that they're going to come out hungry, especially in their own building. We've got to meet that intensity."
The day after his goal for the ages, Richards said he watched it on television replays and still can not believe his shot found its way past Caps goalie Braden Holtby and defenseman John Carlson, while still managing to stay inside the post.
"Cally did a great job helping to win the faceoff, and then we just kind of played it from there," Richards explained of the goal. "We kind of had a structure, and the main thing was getting it down to the net and banging away at it."
Injured wnger Mats Zuccarello participated in the optional practice, taking part in all on-ice drills. AFterwards he said that his fractured left wrist is still sore, but he is recovering and still hopeful he'll be able to play at some point during the playoffs.
