Are they really good enough?
It was a fair question considering the Rangers had to come back from down 3-1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference First Round and from down 2-0 and 3-2 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.
They survived both.
But next were the Tampa Bay Lightning, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, and the resilient Rangers were again facing the same question entering the Eastern Conference Final.
Are they really good enough?
They answered that question emphatically Friday.
Yes, they are good enough. Yes, they can win the Stanley Cup.
The Rangers won 3-2 in Game 2
at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series after winning 6-2 in Game 1 on Wednesday.
RELATED: [Complete Rangers vs. Lightning series coverage]
They ended the Lightning's 17-game winning streak in games following a loss in the playoffs since the start of the 2020 postseason, but they also moved within two wins of reaching the Stanley Cup Final, six from a Stanley Cup championship.
Game 3 is at Amalie Arena on Sunday.
"We heard all year that [we weren't] really going to have playoff success," said defenseman Adam Fox, who had two assists and four takeaways in 25:12 of ice time. "We said it all year, the belief in the room is high and the outside opinions don't really affect anyone. Coming back from down 3-1, down 2-0, and this team obviously had a good playoff streak of not losing back-to-back games, but that's not really in our minds when we're coming to the games. We're not thinking about what streaks teams have or how they have done earlier. It's right now."
The Rangers felt that way when they were down 3-1 against the Penguins too, even after playing what remains their worst game of the playoffs in Game 4, a 7-2 loss. They came back to win Game 5, did the same in Game 6, and then in Game 7 too.
They were not deterred when they trailed the series against the Hurricanes. They won Games 3 and 4 at home. But Game 5 was their worst game since Game 4 against the Penguins. They lost 3-1 and were outshot 34-17.
The Rangers have won four in a row since, outscoring the opposition 20-8. They have won eight in a row at home, the first team to do that in the playoffs since the Los Angeles Kings in 2013.
"We want to battle hard, we want to compete hard, and we've been a tough out so far," coach Gerard Gallant said. "The guys have to rally around that. I think we're a good hockey team. We've played great hockey in the playoffs. We find a way to win games."
They find a way with Igor Shesterkin, who is outplaying Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Shesterkin made 29 saves Friday after making 37 in Game 1. He's 9-3 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .939 save percentage since getting pulled in Game 4 against the Penguins.