From the NHL’s morning email:
* Ryan McDonagh registered the secondary assist on Moore’s goal and finished the series with eight helpers and 10 points, tops among both teams. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first defenseman in Rangers history to collect eight assists in a playoff series and only the second to record at least 10 points. The other: Brian Leetch, who posted 5-6—11 in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final vs. VAN en route to capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy.
We’ve written a lot about McDonagh in these playoffs. The 24-year-old didn’t have a great start to the postseason, perhaps still feeling the effects of a late-season shoulder injury (courtesy Vancouver’s Alex Burrows).
McDonagh is back in form now though; he outplayed Montreal’s PK Subban in the Eastern Conference Final, and he’ll need to stay in form in the Stanley Cup Final against either the Kings or Blackhawks, each of whom boast elite d-men in Drew Doughty and Duncan Keith, respectively.
PS -- Good trip down memory lane here, Rangers fans. (“I’ve been sitting here alone in the White House watching this, cheering for you, biting my fingernails, screaming and yelling. It’s been great, it was a wonderful game.”)