Rangers left searching for answers after losing 3 overtime games in Stanley Cup Final

The Los Angeles Kings left New York Rangers all-world goalie Henrik Lundqvist in tears. 

The Kings defeated the Rangers 3-2 in double overtime late Friday night, winning their second Stanley Cup in three years, and finishing off New York in five games. 

Lundqvist was sensational again in defeat for the Rangers, making 48 saves in the loss. He was hurting after the game. 

"I knew going into this series it would end in tears," Lundqvist said. "Tears for joy or tears of heartbreak, and right now it's extremely tough.

"When you play a game like this you just hope for some guy to score that big goal for us and take it back to New York."

Dan Girardi, who had a tough go in the Cup Final, lamented how close the series was, even though it ended in five games. 

"It was so close. An inch here, an inch there," he said. "The whole series." 

It took the defenseman a while to take off his jersey.

"I have nowhere to go. No hurry now," he said. "Just kept it on. No reason. I just - hanging onto it, I guess. Hanging onto the last moments here." 

The Rangers lost three games - the first, second, and fifth - in Los Angeles, all in overtime. Lundqvist knows this could have been so very different.

“I still look at all three games in this building. We could’ve won all three. I think we hit the post in every OT, but that’s how it goes. They were good. They have a lot of good players that stepped up in key moments throughout the series, so you have to give it to them.”

Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh won't soon forget New York's blown leads.

"We left it out there," he said. "We played some good hockey at times but we found way to lose leads and you can't do that." 

Especially not against the Kings. 

"I'm very proud of our group," said head coach Alain Vigneault. "Very proud of our effort." 

Brad Richards, who had a nightmare series, and while hurting, agreed with his coach. 

“Tonight is not a night to reminisce, but there will be a time this summer to look back at what an amazing run it was. It was t be amazing to get this far. A lot of things have to come together as a group.

“No one will ever know except for us how fun it was and how we came together. When you lose three games in overtime in a Final it’s hard to explain.”

The Rangers will spend the summer searching for answers, no doubt.