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Dominic Moore's goal helps Rangers beat Canadiens 1-0, advance to Stanley Cup Final

AP

Dominic Moore had previously been a part of two teams that fell short in the conference finals before this season. In his third attempt, he personally made sure the ride wasn't ending any time soon.

Moore’s third goal of the playoffs with 1:53 left in the second period was all the New York Rangers would need as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 to win the series 4-2 and advance to their first Stanley Cup Final in 20 years.

In the hours leading up to Game 6, the Rangers did not want to look back on their disastrous 7-4 loss in Game 5. Instead, they were focusing on Thursday night’s task: a second attempt to eliminate Montreal. The game was completely opposite of the goal-fest that was Tuesday night. There were 10 less goals and Henrik Lundqvist reverted back to his standard elite form, making 18 saves, including this ridiculous blocker save just minutes before Moore’s goal:

As the Rangers held possession the Montreal zone minutes later, the puck came to Brian Boyle behind the net. The 6’7 pivot took a quick peek in front before spinning around and tossing the puck into the slot, finding an unmarked Moore who gave New York the only goal they would need:

The Canadiens couldn’t muster anything offensively in Game 6 and when the desperation level was its highest in the third period, the Rangers limited them to only five shots. Lundqvist even pulled off one of his trademark soccer header saves late in the game, showing just how in control he and he teammates were. They had learned from their mistakes in Game 5.

“The way we responded here,” Lundqvist said to NBCSN afterward, “I think we played one of our best periods in the whole playoffs in the third period when it mattered the most.”

New York left the Prince of Wales Trophy untouched as NHL Deputy Commissioner Bil Daly was on hand to present it. Without a captain, alternates Marc Staal, Brad Richards and Dan Girardi invited the entire Rangers team over for the ceremonial photo.

They now have six days to rest up together as they await either the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings in the Final.

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Sean Leahy

is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!