from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

The Rangers have come too far and have accomplished too much for the Stanley Cup finals to end in an ignominious sweep. They have done too much heavy lifting to simply be discarded onto the scrap heap of history and to be remembered — if remembered at all in the grand scheme of things — as a tomato can of an opponent on hockey’s biggest stage.

The Rangers owe themselves better than that. Win or lose, they owe themselves a Game 4 performance at the Garden they will be able to reflect upon with pride. If the Blueshirts are going to go out, at least it should be on their shields.

“I really believe this is going to be our best effort,” Brad Richards told The Post on Wednesday. “We have to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror.”

They are going to have to be able to look at themselves in the mirror and equally to the point, they are going to have to be able to look each other in the eye when Game 4 is said and done, after which either the Kings will become the second visiting team to raise the Cup on Garden ice — joining the hated 1972 Bruins — or both the Kings and Rangers will be boarding their respective charters to L.A. for Game 5 on Friday.

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