Well, this is it. Do or die. Backs against the wall. Lose and it’s tee time – win and we live to fight another day. Sad really, that the success of their regular season hasn’t helped the Rangers win these crucial playoffs games. Dropping games 2 and 4 in overtime were pure heartbreakers, and Saturday’s supreme letdown was almost enough to make me question my faith as a fan. I was honestly so distraught that I ended up watching nothing but Law & Order SVU episodes for the rest of the weekend, if only just to put my pain in perspective against dramatized rape cases. Typical Blueshirt bullshit, making some decent goalie look like he’s all world as our insanely inept offense flounders wasting every odd man rush and power play we’re given. Ugh, it’s enough to make you envy Philadelphians…

Could be worse though – being a Canuck fan certainly seems like a harsher fate than rooting for the Rags right now – but as hard as it is to overcome this woe-is-losing attitude, it’s not over yet. Boston proved that with their OT win in Washington yesterday. When you’re down to your last gasp, you win the series one game at a time. Don’t think about a Game 7 because it doesn’t exist yet. Take tonight and then worry about winning that second in a row. But let’s not kid ourselves, this is a make or break moment. Crashing out in the first round yet again would be an absolute failure of a year for these Rangers. One regular season step forward, two playoff steps back. It can’t happen like that. Doesn’t matter what’s said or written, doesn’t matter who’s concussed or suspended, doesn’t matter what’s already gone down. All that matters is tonight and how the paid professionals respond on the ice. They have no choice but to skate into Ottawa and steal one from the Senators. Champions are made in these moments, but so are perennial jokes. If Lundqvist and Co. want to avoid becoming the latter, they need to win Game 6. Sounds simple enough…

Through ups and downs, wins and losses, successes and failures, only our hopeful mantra drives the devoted back into the pews to chant, nay, pray again and again. LET’S GO RANGERS!!! @Osgood_StoolNYC