MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- If you want to be surrounded by thousands of Rangers fans, the place to be is right in Central Park.
A sold-out ticketed crowd of 3,000 diehard Rangers fans attended an official watch party at the summer stage for game three of the Eastern Conference finals against the Florida Panthers.
Tied at one game apiece, Rangers fans were so pumped hours before game 3 started with lots of advice.
“Stay in front of Bobby. Stay focused and keep the traffic in front of the goalie,” Jack Kennedy, a Rangers fan with his dog Pluto on his shoulder, told PIX11 News.
“Never give up. There’s no quit in New York,” AJ Blum, 13 years old, told PIX11 News.
Rangers great Adam Graves was signing autographs and posing for pictures.
Graves was on the team the last time the Rangers won the Stanley Cup 30 years ago. Any advice?
“Believe in yourself. This has been a long journey,” Graves told PIX11 News. “These are two excellent teams. Just believe in what you’ve got."
Game three was a nail-biter, crazy game with the explosion of offense.
It went into overtime, with the Rangers coming out on top, 5 to 4.
“This is such a fun team with the best fans in the world,” Kayla LaRosa, a Rangers fan, told PIX11 News. “I am really optimistic and excited."
“It’s going to go to seven,” Anthony, a fan from Wayne, told PIX11 News. “It’s a tough battle, but at the end of the day, New York prevails."
Now it’s on to Florida Tuesday night.
