That’s the mentality with which the New York Rangers will enter tonight’s Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank. A deflating 2-0 loss on home ice Saturday night, despite registering 41 shots on goal, has put the Blueshirts in a do-or-die situation with the entire season on the line this evening. Back-to-back wins will be required to keep New York’s dream of a Stanley Cup Championship alive, and back-to-back wins are something this team has yet to accomplish in the playoffs this year. But with the circumstances what they are, they will have no choice.
The most difficult part of being down 3-2 in the series is that the Rangers have lost any momentum they may have earned leading up to the series and in the two games that they did win. The Senators are the eight seed coming back to their home arena with the chance to ice this thing and move on to the semifinals; you better believe they have all of the odds on their side right now.
This puts the Rangers in a situation of adversity and desperation, which are two words that haven’t come up a whole lot over the course of the 2011-12 season. This is the ultimate test of the club’s proclaimed character, and how they respond will determine their fate for the year.
Therefore, every single player needs to better. From Henrik Lundqvist on out, everyone needs to bring their game up another notch to overcome a team that’s given them more problems than originally expected. These are the moments in which the true heart and soul of a hockey team are revealed, so the core guys who have been somewhat dormant as of late must rise to the occasion on this night.
Eyes right now are pointing at Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik. Richards and Gaborik – the team’s supposed top two offensive producers – have just three points apiece through five games in this series. Also, Gaborik has just nine total shots in those games, and out of those nine, how many could you say were legitimate scoring chances? Four at most?
These guys need to step it up and lead the way here, and hopefully the return of winger Carl Hagelin from his three-game suspension will get the job done. Richie and Gabby clearly were not the same in Hagelin’s absence, and were even split up by head coach John Tortorella in the past two games. It’s Hags’ speed and ability to track down loose pucks that makes this line roll, so the Rangers are hoping and praying that he can reignite the chemistry there.
But it’s not only the top line that needs to contribute for the Rangers. The entire offensive lineup was pathetic in Game 5 at MSG. Yes, they generated 41 shots, but majority were from the outside and they struggled to even forecheck and cycle. That’s just unacceptable for a Tortorella-coached team, because it’s the extra effort on the forecheck that sparks this team offensively. If they don’t have a forecheck, suddenly they become irrelevant in the offensive zone.
Showing more desperation when pursuing the puck will be the difference tonight. The Senators are not as good defensively as they’ve been made out to be in this series, nor is Craig Anderson a world-class goaltender. They are a beatable team, the Rangers just need to play to their own ability and not play down to Ottawa’s.
That message was sent loud and clear after Saturday night, so I fully expect the Rangers to come out skating and urgent on offense. Get the puck to the slot area and crash the net, and just watch what happens. The Senators will not have an answer, I promise you.
New York will be without centerman Brian Boyle in this game, as he did not even make the trip to Ottawa after being concussed by Chris Neil in Game 5. Meanwhile, Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is expected to make his return after missing three games from concussion symptoms.
But no matter what either team’s lineup looks like, the Rangers have to get this done. This magical season ain’t over yet!
New York Rangers (Probable) Lineup
* Updated line combinations listed in comments
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