On Wednesday evening it all seemed like the NY Rangers were going to exit the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team had been thoroughly dominated by Pittsburgh Penguins in Games 2, 3 and 4; the Rangers had only managed to score one goal in three games and looked listless in Game 4. In that game, the Rangers struggled to create any cycle in the Penguins zone and only recorded 15 shots on goal. For their efforts, they were serenaded with boos by their fans. Fast forward to Sunday evening and the Rangers had accomplished the seemingly impossible. The team had forced Game 7 and now have Pittsburgh right where they want them. Why? Because the Rangers are arguably one of the best Game 7 teams in recent history.

Back in 1994 the team won the Stanley Cup in the deciding Game 7, but in the recent era, the Rangers have also shown themselves to be solid with everything on the line. Since 2007-08, the Rangers have played in five Game 7s and have won four; in fact the team has won four straight Game 7's dating back to 2011-12. After losing Game 7 against the top-seeded Washington Capitals back in 2008-09 (in a series in which New York blew a 3-1 lead), the Rangers have been invincible in the deciding series game. In 2011-12, the team topped the Ottawa Senators in the deciding game after falling behind 3-2 in the series. In the ensuing round Rangers repeatedly took the lead only to lose the follow-up and wound up taking the deciding game against the Washington Capitals. In the 2012-13 season, the Rangers lost the first two games of the series against the Washington Capitals before battling back to tie it up at 2-2. They lost Game five and faced elimination in Game 6; the team won that game and blew out the Capitals 5-0 in the deciding game. In the first round of this postseason, the Blueshirts took a continually blew series leads against the Flyers before finally managing a 2-1 win at home. Now the team heads to Pittsburgh for the deciding game.

Of the four recent Game 7 victories, three have come at the Madison Square Garden while the win in Washington back in 2012-13 was the lone away win in Game 7 in modern times. It is also essential to note that since the 2004-05 lockout, the New York Rangers have managed a record of 10 wins and five losses in games in which they are facing elimination; that includes Game 7 matchups.

The Penguins on the other hand have not been as convincing in these kinds of situations. First of all, the team has not faced elimination all season and has rarely had to contest Game 7. The team has competed in four Game 7s since 2008-09 but has not played in any since 2010-11. The team won two Game 7s in its run to the Stanley Cup back in 2008-09 but lost the ensuing ones. The Penguins lost against Montreal on home ice in the deciding match in 2009-10 and then repeated that same feat a year later in a series defeat against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That Game 7 loss against Tampa Bay was also on home ice. The two Game 7 wins in 2008-09 both took place on the road. The Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center 6-2 before taking the Stanley Cup from Detroit in Michigan.

Since the 2004-05 lockout, the Penguins have a record of six wins and six losses in games in which they face elimination. But the bigger concern regards their last two Game 7s, both losses. The team held a 3-2 series lead against the Montreal Canadiens but lost the last two games. The team managed three goals in a Game six loss, but conceded five goals in the deciding game and only scored two late goals. A year later, the team held a dominant 3-1 series lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning but was destroyed 8-2 in Game 5 at home. After that the Penguins offense wilted and the team only managed two goals in the final two games; Tampa shut the door in Game 7 and won 1-0.

This series against the Rangers has gone similarly. The team looked great defensively and offensively in the first few games of the series but was destroyed 5-1 at home in Game 5. In Game 6, the Penguins' offense was equally abysmal and now the team heads home with all the pressure in the world. Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist has been almost unbeatable and the Penguins own keeper Marc-Andre Fleury has seemingly returned to his playoff choking antics.

Do the Rangers have the advantage heading into Game 7? Or will the Penguins turn the series around?