from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,

As you watched the New York Rangers’ season saved on Wednesday night by a soft mound of slushy springtime snow gathered in a heap behind goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, you probably rolled your eyes and wondered, are these the longest playoffs ever?

Officially, the answer as of Friday will be yes.

When the Los Angeles Kings get a second crack at clinching the 2014 Stanley Cup in the fifth game of their best-of-seven series with the Rangers, it will mark the 93rd game of the NHL’s 2014 playoff season, the most in history.

The previous high of 92 games was set back in 1991 and that year, the Pittsburgh Penguins had the decency to wrap up their series against the Minnesota North Stars on May 25 – practically winter by the standards of the current, never-ending NHL season.

For the Kings, up 3-1 in the series, Friday’s game at the Staples Center will be their 26th playoff game of the spring, tying the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2004 Calgary Flames for the all-time high. Darryl Sutter coached that ’04 Flames team and understands better than most how hard it is to close a team out.

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