Mats Zuccarello powers Rangers to Game 6 elimination win over Canadiens

NEW YORK — For those who rise and fall, cheer and cry with the Rangers, now is the time to start to dream a little.

And perhaps appreciate this veteran Rangers’ core. Appreciate how Henrik Lundqvist has elevated his game. Appreciate just how good captain Ryan McDonagh and Rick Nash have been all over the ice. Appreciate the wonder that is Mats Zuccarello, who scored twice nearly two years to the day a McDonagh slap shot to his head nearly ended his career.

Often, the old playoff adage goes, the hardest round to get through is the first, and that the Rangers have now done, eliminating the Canadiens with a 3-1 win in Game 6 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden and avoiding a trip back to Montreal for an elimination game.

Now, the Rangers, can await the winner of the Ottawa-Boston series — the Senators carry a 3-2 lead into Sunday afternoon’s Game 6 at Boston — and be thankful this ill-conceived NHL playoff format placed them in the weaker Atlantic Division bracket. If they have to face the Penguins or Capitals, the Metropolitan Division powerhouses, it won’t be until the Eastern Conference Final.

And then, you know, anything can happen, especially if the veteran-laden Rangers keep their laser-like focus.

“Whatever we’ve done until now, doesn’t matter,” Zuccarello said.

Lundqvist, as always, the Rangers’ best player, made 27 saves, none better than stretching his toe to stop Tomas Plekanec with Carey Price (20 saves) off for an extra skater.

The Canadiens, obviously, had all the motivation to play as desperately and urgently as possible. Yet, so should have the Rangers, even if the Rangers are 5-2 in Game 7s since Lundqvist joined the team in 2005-06. In road Game 7s in that span, the Rangers are 2-1, most recently winning Game 7 at Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2014 playoffs, en route to a five-game loss to the Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Rangers’ most recent Game 7, though, was their 2-0 loss to the Lightning at the Garden in the 2015 Eastern Conference Final.

And heading back to Montreal for Game 7, no matter how well the Rangers have done in Game 7s, even on the road, was to be avoided at all costs since the Bell Centre, electric for regular-season games, would have been at a frenzied best for a Game 7.

MORE NHL:

Oilers oust Sharks for first playoff series win since 2006

Blues finish off Wild in overtime to advance to second round

The Canadiens, looking to get their home-ice chance, were on the Rangers from the opening faceoff, winning the puck battles and continually crashing Lundqvist’s crease. That led to the surprising “fight” — well, they dropped the gloves — between Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty and Rangers rookie Jimmy Vesey at 6:06 of the first period after Alexander Radulov, following a soft dump-in to the crease, sprayed Lundqvist with snow.

“My thing with Jimmy right now is I like his compete level,” Rangers’ core member Derek Stepan said. “He’s been able to get on pucks. He’s created space. Obviously playing with Rick [Nash] — and Rick’s been a beast — he’s learning from Rick and he’s soaking up as much as he can. He’s basically trying to copy Rick, which is a good thing.”

“I thought I played some good hockey to close out the year,” Vesey added. “At this time, you have to be engaged and you have to be ready to play every night and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that. I’m just trying to skate and finish my checks and make stuff happen. It’s been really fun so far.”

The Canadiens took the game’s first five shots and led 1-0 on Alexei Emelin’s wrist shot over Lundqvist’s glove through traffic from the top of the left circle at 6:19. It was the low-scoring defenseman’s first postseason goal since the 2010 KHL playoffs.

And it was Vesey’s first career NHL playoff fight after having two as a rookie during the regular season.

His play, along with that of other Rangers’ playoff newcomers such as fellow rookies Pavel Buchnevich and defenseman Brady Skjei, defensemen Brendan Smith and Nick Holden and left wing Michael Grabner has complemented the veteran Rangers’ core and helped push the team to the next round.

Buchnevich drew a holding penalty on Jordie Benn at 1:30 of the second period — the Rangers came out as hard at the start as the Canadiens did in the first period — and Zuccarello ended an 0-for-14 power play drought in the series with a shot from the right circle that beat Price to the near post under his glove, tying the game at 1 at 2:26.

Zuccarello, open at the far post for a feed from Kevin Hayes, made it 2-1 at 13:31 of the second period.

There was still plenty of time to go and the Rangers never looked past what they were doing at that moment. They continued to press the attack in the third period rather than sit back, as had cost them in their 4-3 overtime loss in Game 2, and clinched it on Stepan’s empty-netter.

Which is why, now, they can start to dream a little bit.