After the Rangers swept Atlanta in the first round in 2007, there was a two-day wait for the Sabres to finish off the Islanders in five games and a week’s delay before Game 1 of Round 2 in Buffalo against eventual Blueshirts co-captain Chris Drury’s team.
Sean Avery was at the height of his powers after distracting and enraging Ilya Kovalchuk through four games, a bromance that intensified when the Russian winger moved to New Jersey. The gap between series gave No. 16 just enough time to develop content that would have gone viral had there been such a thing back then.
“I’m going to hurt them, I’m going to hit them. I’m going to be in their face as much as I can,” Avery said after a practice between rounds. “Each check is going to be a little bit harder.
“Their speed isn’t an issue to me. My game doesn’t change. It’s a long series. I’m going to try to punish their D[efense].”
