from Katie Strang of ESPN New York,

Brian Boyle did not hold back in the wake of the New York Rangers’ 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 Saturday night, lashing out at the notion that the Rangers are underdogs in a Stanley Cup finals series that is now 2-0 in favor of L.A. with the series shifting back to New York.

“I don’t give a s--- about underdogs. That’s ridiculous. Give me a break,” the rugged fourth-line forward said after the game, seething. “We’re not. We’re here, too. We’re a good team. And we can’t take any solace [in having played two close games], because we lost.”

Though the Kings entered the finals as heavy favorites, champions of what many feel to be a superior Western Conference, they have not held a lead one single time throughout the first two games of the series. And yet they lead 2-0 heading into Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

The Rangers didn’t make it this far to simply feel satisfied with being there for the spectacle of it all. They harbor the belief that they can compete with the big, heavy Kings and the first two games have shown just that. The Rangers have dominated stretches of play, building 2-0 leads in consecutive games, though their ability to close their opponents out has them in a daunting hole as they head back to the East Coast to defend home ice.

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