Rangers' failure to convert on big chances proves costly in crushing Game 1 defeat

Maybe there was some bad juju left over at the Garden from the Knicks' deflating Game 7 loss to the Pacers on Sunday. This was a tough and frustrating night for the Rangers and their Stanley Cup-starved faithful who packed the storied building, and were particularly loud in anticipation of so much more than they got — similar to the Knicks' crowd Sunday, minus the desperation that came with facing the possibility of an end to a marvelous playoff run. Yes, Wednesday night's 3-0 loss to the Panthers in Game 1 of the conference final wasn't the end for the Rangers as Sunday was for the Knicks. But it was still deflating. 4 Sergei Bobrovsky makes a save on Mika Zibanejad during the second period