The Rangers Tribune

Pregame: Rangers and Caps Open Semifinals Today at MSG

It has yet to be 48 hours since the New York Rangers eliminated the Ottawa Senators with a Game 7 victory in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Thursday night, but already the puck will drop on round two when they host the Washington Capitals for Game 1 of this series later today at Madison Square Garden. It’s a quick turnaround for both teams, actually, since Washington needed seven games to oust the defending champion Boston Bruins as well, and their series only wrapped up late Wednesday night. In retrospect, it is probably best for both clubs that their first round series went the full distance, because it left them no time to get too high on themselves, especially after Game 7 victories. They had a few hours to celebrate but then it was time to regain focus for the semifinals.

This especially holds true for the Rangers, who always seem to develop more of a flow when playing every other night rather than two or three days off between games. Sure, they enjoyed that memorable victory at MSG in front of the home fans on Thursday, but they were right back to the rink for practice on Friday where the main focus already was on the Washington Capitals. It’s a bit odd that the National Hockey League elected to start this game at 3 p.m. rather than 7 p.m., but regardless, the Rangers will come ready to play.

As noted in yesterday series preview (read here), this will be the third time in four years that the Rangers and Capitals will be meeting in the postseason. However, both teams have very different looks to them than they’ve had in the past, especially the Capitals who hired a new coach in time to salvage their season.

The Capitals now find themselves playing a very similar style to the Rangers, in that defense comes first and from there offense is generated. It was their outstanding work in their own zone that carried them past the grinding Bruins in the first round, so they will not exactly be changing the strategy up very much when they enter New York this afternoon.

Also like Rangers coach John Tortorella, Capitals skipper Dale Hunter holds his players accountable when maximum effort is not put forth on the defensive side of the puck. That even includes Alex Ovechkin, who averaged his lowest minutes-per-game total in the playoffs of his career in round one. One night, specifically, the Russian sniper saw just twelve minutes of ice time, as his coach felt he was a liability in the situation that the team was in at the time. So this new system clearly is no joke, and most everyone has bought into it by now.

And when the defense has failed for Washington, a 22-year-old rookie by the name of Braden Holtby has been there to save the day. Holby put up a 2.49 GAA and a .922 save percentage in the Boston series over seven games, so he certainly didn’t look like a rookie between the pipes based on those numbers.

Taking all of this into consideration, today’s Game 1 should be tightly played by both clubs. Each team is coming off a series win in which defense and goaltending led the way, and like I said, they won’t be making many adjustments from one series to the next. For the Rangers, this means they must outgrind their opponent whenever they get the chance, and use the home crowd to their advantage to gain momentum swings in their favor. This series, maybe more so than the last, will come down to momentum management, and the Rangers, I think, have the edge over the Caps in that area of the game solely due to discipline.

I’m sure Tortorella is also preaching to his squad to limit the turnovers. The Caps are a team that thrives on turnovers, especially Nick Backstrom and Alex Semin, so the Blueshirts must clean up their game in the neutral zone for this series. Coughing the puck up between the two blue-lines will only be inviting scoring chances for Washington.   

It’s crucial that the Rangers set the tone right out of the gate here, just as they did in Game 1 against the Senators two weeks ago. We know all too well the type of building that the Verizon Center in D.C. is, and how the crowd alone can fuel the Caps to succeed. Therefore, the Rangers need to do what it takes to grab wins in these first two games at MSG, even as obvious as that may sound. With the odds already against Washington in this series, going up 2-0 will put the Rangers in perfect position to go for the jugular and end this series quickly. 

The Rangers are yet to know the personnel they will be rolling with in this game, or at least we haven’t been made aware just yet. Both Brandon Dubinsky (lower body) and Brian Boyle (concussion) are question marks heading in. Boyle skated yesterday in practice while Dubinsky didn’t, but neither was confirmed to sit out or play in this game. That leaves the third line in question, but the remainder of the lineup is expected to remain the same. 

New York Rangers (Expected) Lineup

*subject to change

Postgame: Rangers Eliminate Senators, Advance to Semis to Face Caps

And the magical season lives on.

As stated in the pregame, it was only proper that this blow-for-blow Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators was decided by a Game 7. As John Tortorella said in his postgame presser, the first round can sometimes be the most difficult. The Senators, although seeded eighth, surely gave the Rangers a difficult time over the course of the past two weeks, and prolonged the series for a lengthier amount of time than was expected. But it was the Rangers, in the end, prevailing through adversity, coming back from being down, 3 games to 2, and now moving on to the semifinals for the first time since 2008.

Yes, typical 2011-12 New York Rangers fashion. 

The vibe in Madison Square Garden was breathtaking as the puck dropped to begin this game, and the Rangers certainly fed off of that energy for at least the opening ten minutes. They were breathing down the throats of the Senators in the offensive zone, forcing goaltender Craig Anderson to make save after save early. The first line of Carl Hagelin, Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik were especially buzzing, coming within inches of putting the game's first goal to the back of the net each time they stepped onto the ice. They weren't able to put a tally up on the board in the first period, though, nor was any other Ranger or Senator for that matter, so to the locker rooms the teams went in a scoreless tie during the intermission.

In the middle stanza, however, the game broke open on both sides and suddenly the goals began to come. The first came at 4:46 of the second, when Derek Stepan made a beautiful cross-slot feed to Marc Staal for a one-timer goal to give the Rangers a 1-0 advantage. The play was started by Ryan Callahan along the boards, though, where he stopped an Ottawa clearing attempt to keep the puck in the zone. That's when Stepan swooped in and made the pass to Staalsie, which was yet another brilliant assist for Derek.

Less than five minutes later another defenseman tallied in the goal column for New York, as this time it was Dan Girardi sneaking in and burying a loose puck all alone in the slot. The Rangers had all men crashing the net on this specific play, which had both Ottawa defenseman preoccupied. That left an open slot for Girardi to easily walk in and roof the shot.

The Senators put up a goal late in the second period on Daniel Aflredsson's one-timed blast with the man advantage. It looked as if the shot slightly changed direction just prior to reaching Lundqvist, so there's a chance it may have clipped the skate of Anton Stralman in front. Either way, the Rangers held a 2-1 lead going into the third.

Girardi's goal would hold up to be the game-winner, but only after a full-court press from the Senators that had the Rangers on their heels in the third period. Que Henrik Lundqvist, because this is normally the time of the night which he shines the most. That he did, making 26 saves before the final buzzer, including some incredible kick stops in the final minutes when the Sens were fighting for their lives.

Hank and the Rangers held on, though, pinching the puck down in Ottawa's zone in the final seconds as an electric MSG rose to its feet screaming in joy.

Lundqvist was very deserving of the first start tonight, but I think right up there with him were Derek Stepand and Chris Kreider. I spoke just the other day of how important these two can be if they continue to gel the way they did in Game 6, and tonight they were even better than they were in Game 6. Stepan has the best vision on the team, no questions asked, and Kreider is without a doubt the fastest, even over Carl Hagelin. Those traits combined made this duo the most energetic for the Rangers and they were rewarded with plenty of ice time from coach Tortorella as a result.

Kreider is something to behold. The kid's confidence has taken enormous leaps since his Game 3 debut, and he's rapidly become one of the main attractions on this hockey club. Did you see him controlling the puck in the second period? Or when he was put out there in the final minutes to defend a one-goal lead in a Game 7? The Blueshirts have something very special on their hands here.

I also liked the defensive work by the third line tonight, consisting of Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko and Brandon Prust. Tortorella has a lot of trust in this trio when it comes time to lockdown defensively late in games, and we saw why tonight. This time of year is when Ruslan Fedotenko is his best - he led that line with some gutsy plays in his own zone.

Defensively, Marc Staal was a stud in this game. He most definitely looks like the Staalsie from last season, no matter what anyone says. He was the team's best blue-liner in this series if you ask me.

Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh also deserve an honorable mention. They did an excellent job against the Jason Spezza line all series.

So Game 7 is in the books and the Rangers are on to the semifinals where they will face the Washington Capitals. From my understanding, that series will begin as soon as Saturday, so we shall celebrate tonight's win for now but then quickly regain focus to oust Washington once and for all.

Believe.

Postgame: Rangers Beat Sens to Keep Season Alive, Force Game 7

Things were looking pretty glum for the New York Rangers after Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers suddenly found themselves behind the eight ball with the odds and momentum playing against them. But as this team has done so many times, they gathered their emotions, regained focused and rebounded in a must-win game to keep their season alive. The Rangers have not and will not go down without a fight, and now just one win stands between them and the semifinals. 

The game didn’t exactly start out how the Rangers had planned for it to, though. Just 5:47 into the first period, Mike Rupp was called for a very weak roughing penalty, which basically consisted of him pushing Zenon Konopka into the bench. How that is a penalty, I don’t know, and how Konopka’s retaliatory head-butt was not a penalty, I really don’t know. Regardless, Sergei Gonchar would blast home a slap shot on the ensuing powerplay through a double screen in front of Henrik Lundqvist. 

New York struggled in the opening period to generate a response to that goal, so it certainly appeared as if it was going to be another one of those nights. Something must have been said in the locker room during the intermission, though, because they came out looking like a new squad in the second period. 

Or maybe it was Brandon Prust’s fight with Chris Neil right before the first period concluded. Neil was running around, gooning it up as usual, and Prust finally would put a stop to it. He did not win the fight, but it was the heart he showed by engaging in it that rallied the troops. To me, that was the turning point of this game. 

Whatever it was, the Rangers skated with confidence in the middle frame, they pursued the puck persistently and they drew penalties. For the first time in three games, they had regained their swagger and put pressure on the Senators that the Sens have not felt in quite a while. This led to penalties, and the Rangers, for once, made their opponent pay with powerplay goals.

The first came at 8:25 of the second, when Derek Stepan tipped in his first of the playoffs. The play, however, was all about the orchestration by Brad Richards. Richards, with the puck along the boards, basically drew the play out in the air, pointing to the exact spot where Stepan should cut in from the point. Step followed direction and Richie executed the pass perfectly to set-up the Rangers’ first goal in 147 minutes of play.  

Later, at 17:08, again on the powerplay, Michael Del Zotto made a fabulous play to keep the puck in the offensive zone and then fed Richards in open ice. Richie had some room, walked in and fired a slapper through Anderson to give the Rangers a 2-1 advantage. Amazingly, scoring on the powerplay is as simple as that. 

Just over two minutes later, with the second period nearing its end, Derek Stepan made a seeing-eye pass through traffic to Chris Kreider, who picked a spot between Anderson and the post for not only his first career NHL goal, but what would turn out to be the game-winning tally. Putting Stepan and Kreider together, along with Ryan Callahan, was a smart move by coach Tortorella, and one that paid dividends in this game. Those two really played nicely together, and Kreider showed what he could do at the professional level. 

In the third period, it was all about Henrik Lundqvist and the penalty-kill. Twice the kill was called upon in the third, and twice they came up with a tremendous shot-blocking effort. Lundqvist was even better, making several outstanding stops to keep the game at 3-1. 

Late in the third, in attempt to find two goals, Ottawa pulled Anderson from the net for the extra attacker. With 39 seconds remaining in regulation, the Senators did get another goal on the board, but one that absolutely 100-percent shouldn’t have counted. During a scrum in the crease, not only did Chris Neil’s stick drag Henrik Lundqvist out into the slot, but Neil’s skate also clearly swept the puck into the net. Everyone saw it on the replay – it was a distinct kicking motion. Yet, somehow, the NHL found a way to deem it a good goal to make the game interesting. 

The Rangers went on to win, 3-2, anyway, so it has little importance at this point, but as Henrik Lundqvist said after the game, the fact that the goal was allowed is an absolute joke. The people reviewing the play up in Toronto are not stupid and know that goal was not legal, but again, an attempt by the League to screw over the Rangers. There is NO other explanation for that play. None, sorry. 

But we won’t focus on that and let it ruin our spirits. First period aside, the New York Rangers came out tonight and played New York Rangers hockey. They were relentless, they were physical, they drove to the net and they showed character in a win they had no other choice but to obtain. For those that gave up after Saturday, I am really wondering what is going through your heads right now. The Blueshirts defied the odds tonight, and the momentum is now on their side going back home to MSG for Game 7. 

I really thought the return of Carl Hagelin made a huge difference tonight. The Rangers clearly have missed his speed, and it made a big difference on that first line. Hagelin and Gaborik both had two shots (improvement for Gabby), and Richards had three shots with two points. 

Hagelin wasn’t the only youngster making an impact in the lineup tonight. Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan, as I said, were nearly unstoppable together. I thought that second line was the best as far as forechecking went, and the coach repaid them for that with loads of ice time. Stepan has been disappointingly quiet so far, but he came up big with three points tonight in his best game of the series yet. And for Kreider, he proved himself in this game. He’s more than ready for the NHL, he just needs the opportunity. 

Now while we celebrate this win and take a temporary deep breath, there is still one game that remains to be won. That will be on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in the Rangers’ first Game 7 in 18 years. The good thing? The Rangers, historically, have never lost a Game 7 at MSG. 

Believe. 

Pregame: It's Do or Die for Rangers in Game 6

Go hard or go home. 

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

Postgame: Rangers Blanked by Sens, Face Elimination Monday

Heading into this series the New York Rangers were the heavy favorites to eliminate the Ottawa Senators in five or six games. The Sens were expected to give them a run for their money, but they were not predicted to even come close to making this series one that they could wrap up on home ice. Yet that's the position they find themselves in heading back to Ottawa for Monday's Game 6. A Game 6 the once favorited Rangers will face elimination in after being shutout on home ice this evening, 2-0. It's a do-or-die situation for New York, otherwise this magical season will come to an abrupt end, yet again,  in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Rangers' effort to begin tonight's contest was disappointing. Madison Square Garden was rocking immediately after the National Anthem was sung, trying to give their team the extra motivation it needed to get off to a key start in a pivotal game. Still, though, the Rangers were outbattled, outplayed and found themselves down a goal after the first twenty minutes as a result. And if they couldn't find a spark on home ice to begin tonight's game, it's hard to believe they will do so in Ottawa on Monday. As I've said, the lacking motivation has been an issue for several games now, and that's unacceptable in the playoffs.

As for the Ottawa goal, it just so happens that it came immediately after a failed powerplay attempt by the Rangers. Remember what I said in the pregame about momentum? Repeated failure with the man advantage is one of the easier ways to give it up and the Blueshirts did just that here. Rookie Mark Stone fed Jason Spezza, who buried a wrist shot off the rush to give the Sens a 1-0 advantage. From my angle it looked like Henrik Lundqvist most certainly should've stopped that puck, but Hank turned out to be the least of the Rangers' problems as the game progressed.

New York went on to fail on three total powerplay opportunities before the period concluded, including one that came from a Spezza inexplicable jab to the head of captain Ryan Callahan. That's one the Rangers need to make Ottawa pay for, but they barely even threatened. This left the Rangers exiting the rink for the intermission to a sea of booing.

In the second period, the Rangers had about one solid shift and that came from the Brandon Dubinsky, Brad Richards and Ryan Callahan trio. They pressed hard looking for the tying tally, but Craig Anderson stood tall between the pipes to preserve his club's one-goal lead. If there was a moment the Rangers had the greatest chance of tying this thing up, that was it right there.

The Rangers may have reached the 41-shot mark tonight, but very few of those shots actually created quality chances for the Blueshirts. The Senators did a great job of keeping the Rangers to the outside on the rush, so it wasn't an easy time penetrating the slot area to pick up rebounds. Don't get me wrong, Anderson played well, but he received a ton of help from his defense. The Rangers couldn't even get the cycle going in this game.

The powerplay struggle and overall struggle to generate scoring chances continued in the third, and then a Marian Gaborik turnover at the blue-line in the final minutes left Spezza all alone with the empty net for his second on the night and what would be the dagger in the Rangers' heart.

The main attraction of that period, though, was Chris Neil's high hit to the head of Brian Boyle, which has reportedly concussed Boyle. As head coach John Tortorella said, the NHL laid out the blueprint for those hits to the head today with a 25- game suspension to Raffi Torres for a very similar incident. Neil should be getting a call from Brendan Shanahan without doubt, because he definitely was head-hunting there and his reputation supports it.

So the Rangers will likely be without Boyle on Monday in Game 6, but they will be getting Carl Hagelin back from his three-game suspension to fill the spot. Hagelin has the potential to really turn this series around for the Rangers, because in his absence, Marian Gaborik has been silent. I didn't like what I saw from Gabby's lline with Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov at all tonight, and it's clear he needs to be back with Richards. However, the only way that duo works is if Hagelin is on the wing, so let's keep our fingers crossed that his addition will again reignite the chemistry there.

The Rangers need to find ways to get to Anderson in the crease, and also build up more traffic in front of the net. They had few quality shots tonight and that will need to change for Game 6. Plus, their battle level to obtain loose pucks can be much better. That's the only way they will get the offensive cycle going.

But this series is not over yet so the team, nor it's fans, should be giving up faith here. The Rangers have come out with clutch performance a countless number of times this season, leaving us in awe over their accomplishments. So what's to say they cannot do so again in Game 6 and then Game 7 right after?

Nothing.

Pregame: Rangers in Big Need of Game 5 Response

Just four games have been played between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators in this Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series, but already the drama has been at an extraordinary high. Both teams have experienced sky high over the past week, and both teams have also experienced rock bottom. All locked up at two games apiece, there has not been a clear-cut ‘better’ team as of yet, but that will change in what has now become a best of three between these clubs. The outcome of tonight’s Game 5 at Madison Square Garden will have a large say in that, as the loser will be facing elimination on Monday in Ottawa. 

The Rangers have no intentions of being that team, especially with the home crowd being on their side tonight after a very frustrating overtime loss to the Sens back on Wednesday. Regardless of what head coach John Tortorella may have or may not have said following that game, his team was embarrassed. They were outworked, they repeatedly handed their opponent momentum and played not to lose instead of to win. There are no excuses to justify such play in a pivotal postseason tilt, and the Blueshirts should be furious with themselves right now. 

Brandon Prust stepped up this morning and, at least from his standpoint, confirmed that they are, in fact, not happy right now: 

"We should be pissed off. We want to be the hardest working team" 

They shouldn’t just want to be the hardest working team; they should be the hardest working team. The Rangers are the better squad in this match-up, everyone knows that, and it’s about time they start playing like it. The half-hearted effort we’ve seen in the past two games is disgraceful and needs to become a thing of the past once the puck drops for Game 5 tonight. 

Yes, the Senators are a good team, but they should not be tied with the Rangers in this series right now. New York has given them more credit than they deserve and has made them look stronger than they should. For goodness sake, the Rangers have made Craig Anderson look just as good as Henrik Lundqvist – you’ve got to be kidding. 

Enough is enough. The Rangers need to bring back the intensity they had in long spurts during the first game of this series and win the next two with that energy. That night was the only one of this series in which the Rangers looked like the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the rest they have looked like a team that barely squeaked in and is now hanging on for dear life. If they’re happy with that, then they should continue playing down to the Senators’ level and be satisfied with elimination on Monday. But I know that isn’t the case, and they will want this game tonight more than any other. 

A major key tonight will be for the Rangers to stay out of the penalty box. They've been very foolish with discipline as of late, and it has really hurt them against this Senators team. I'm sure this is driving the coaching staff crazy and was a major topic of discussion over the past two days. There's very little room for error in this area of the game, especially since the Rangers need all of the time they can get to possibly generate something offensively. Killing penalties takes away from that. 

In attempt to spark the dormant offense, coach Tortorella split up the top two lines in Game 4 and will leave them that way this evening. Marian Gaborik, who has just one goal in the series, will now skate with Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov. Brad Richards, meanwhile, will be centering Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. Every single player just mentioned has another gear or two and must be better beginning tonight.

Aside from that, the lineup is expected to remain the same for the Rangers, which obviously means Henrik Lundqvist in net – another player who I feel can be a tad bit better. 

New York Rangers Lineup

Postgame: Senators Giving Rangers a Run For Their Money, Tie Series at Two with OT Win

If the 2011-12 Stanley Cup Playoffs have proved anything, it’s that seeding has zero meaning, aside from home ice advantage, once the puck is dropped to begin the postseason. We’ve seen it in four out of the eight playoff series so far, and one of them happens to be the 1 versus 8 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal match-up between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators. 

The Sens outplayed their opponent in a game that momentum tilted the ice all different ways over the course of the night, and battled to earn an overtime win to tie this series at two. This one is far from over as the series prepares to head back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Saturday, and the Blueshirts have a hill to climb after this deflating loss. 

Another trend that’s made many storylines during these playoffs has been forfeited leads. The Rangers got off to a marvelous start in this contest with back-to-back powerplay goals within the opening seven minutes of the first period. The first came from Anton Stralman just 45 seconds in for his second tally of the playoffs, and then captain Ryan Callahan would strike again for the Blueshirts on the man advantage at 6:10. Quickly, though, Ottawa began to fight back to the point where the Rangers were just hoping to get out of the period with the 2-0 lead they had earned. 

That they did, but not for very long. While on the powerplay in the middle stanza, Brandon Prust was absolutely robbed of a goal by Senators goaltender Craig Anderson that would’ve put the score at a commanding 3-0 for New York. But instead, Anderson’s sprawling stop led to the Senators clearing up ice, right to Matt Carkner exiting the penalty box. Carkner then made a beautiful saucer pass to a crashing Milan Michalek, who rather easily redirected the puck over the shoulder of Henrik Lundqvist. 

Later, with 2:10 left on the clock in the period, Sergei Gonchar’s slap shot from the point somehow squeaked through the legs of Lundqvist to tie the game, 2-2, heading into the second intermission. The Michalek goal is on the skaters for getting caught pinching and then not coming back to defend quick enough, but this Gonchar tally is completely on Henrik. Shots from the point cannot be splitting the wickets in the playoffs, no matter who is taking them. That needed to be stopped. 

After being completely dominated in the second, the Rangers came out with a slightly stronger showing in the third period. They began to press offensively and created some quality chances against Anderson, all of which he shut the door on. Their effective forecheck earned them a powerplay with just 5:25 remaining, and right there was their moment to get the job done. Unfortunately the failed to even threaten with that man advantage, and suddenly all of the momentum went Ottawa’s way. 

The Sens, despite several mad scrambles in Lundqvist’s crease, could not find the game-winner in regulation. However, it only took them 2:42 into overtime to wrap this up, when Kyle Turris came down the ice two-on-two with Jim O’Brien and sent a seeing-eye shot through Anton Stralman and top shelf on an unsuspecting Lundqvist. 

Just prior to the goal being scored, the Rangers produced some of their best scoring chances of the game led by the forechecking efforts of Mike Rupp, but were denied several times by Anderson. McDonagh was caught (and held) in the corner of the offensive zone at that time, so the Senators’ quick transition of the puck left Stralman and Ruslan Fedotenko, a forward, as the only two players back to defend. A blown coverage by Derek Stepan as the centerman didn’t help, either, so the Rangers were doomed right then and there. 

And if you want to look at this game from a technical point-of-view like that, then in reality, all three goals scored by the Senators could have easily been prevented tonight. A stronger backchecking effort on the first goal cuts Michalek off from receiving the pass, Lundqvist should’ve stopped the second one, and then improved awareness would have better defended the final rush of the game that led to Turris’ goal. 

The Rangers’ problems in this game, though, began when they started taking trips to the penalty box. Only one of Ottawa’s three goals were scored on the powerplay (Gonchar’s), but their lethal unit saw them steal the momentum from the Rangers often tonight. Plus, instead of focusing on gaining a 3-0 lead in that first period, the Rangers were forced to waste four minutes killing off penalties to Brandon Prust and Ryan McDonagh. That was the turning point right there. 

Also, the battle level can be much better. This is certainly something coach John Tortorella will be addressing with his club before Saturday, even though he didn’t necessarily say so to the media. It’s all about holding a poker face as a coach in the playoffs, remember, so Torts did the right thing by making encouraging comments even after a frustrating overtime loss. But it’s almost guaranteed that several players will be called out once time to review the film of this one comes. 

At the very least, the top two lines were more noticeable tonight, but Tortorella did finally break up Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards like many have been calling for. The coach went back to combinations that had success earlier in the year: Anisimov-Stepan-Gaborik and Dubinsky-Richards-Callahan. They generated some legitimate scoring chances, but it obviously all comes down to finishing and that’s where they struggled. 

Richards and Gaborik both recorded two assists on the night, and Callahan a goal. 

Lastly, rookie Chris Kreider looked even better in his second NHL game, despite the fact that he only played a total of 3:29. When he was out there, he was better positioned and he also found himself with two prime scoring opportunities around the net area. For someone to nearly put the puck in the net twice in just 3:29 is impressive, especially as a rookie, and I’m actually quite surprised Torts didn’t chose to play the kid more. He definitely looked hungry out there. 

Hopefully that hunger spreads throughout the lineup, because as I see it, the Rangers have a must-win game coming up on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Going down 3-2 and then having to go back to Ottawa for Game 6 is not a situation the Blueshirts want to find themselves in, so a rebound effort in front of their home crowd will be required if they want to come out of this series victorious without having to face much more danger. 

Pregame: Rangers Hunt for Win 3 of 4 Tonight in Ottawa

By Saturday night around 9:30 p.m., the New York Rangers could be moving on to the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoff semifinals. But first, there are still two important games that the Blueshirts must win in their current series against the Ottawa Senators, and the opportunity to go up three games to none tonight before coming back home to Madison Square Garden on Saturday couldn’t be any better. 

The Rangers took the edge in the series on Monday at Scotiabank Place, when they shut-out the Sens in a 1-0 Game 3 victory. 39 saves from Henrik Lundqvist and a third period tally from Brian Boyle led the way, as did the penalty-kill, which was perfect on the night. After a wild and whacky Game 2 last Saturday, New York did a fantastic job of bringing Game 3 to a level that they are more comfortable playing at, and they will be looking to do just the same on this night in Game 4. 

Ottawa, meanwhile, is a very frustrated hockey club at the moment. They didn’t play bad at all on Monday in front of their rowdy home crowd, but an unfortunate bounce and their inability to finish such glorious chances did them in. The problem there is that they can’t do very much more to gain additional prime scoring chances to the ones they created in their previous outing, and there’s nothing they can do to make Henrik Lundqvist, well, worse.  

As the prior two games have been, Game 4 will be a battle from start to finish. Both teams have tightened up well and are receiving stellar goaltending, so the goals shouldn’t be coming at a frequent pace. At least that will be the gameplan going into this contest, but with how unpredictable these playoffs have been, you never know. 

The Rangers, though, will strive to play more of a 60-minute game in this one. Game 3 saw some periods of time in which the Rangers, by no means, looked like a top seed team. If they want to wrap this series up in the next two games, that needs to change right from puck drop.

This will require more out of the top guys offensively for the Rangers, who have been rather quiet as of late. This is in reference to Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards, who combined for only three shots on goal on Wednesday. That’s unacceptable for those two, but Ottawa has also done a nice job of defending them as well. Somehow these two need to create more space for each other, and hopefully the addition of rookie Chris Kreider will help there.

Speaking of which, head coach John Tortorella would not speak about his lineup after the skate this morning (surprise, surprise), but there’s no reason to believe that he has any changes in mind after his team’s win on Wednesday. That would mean Kreider will be playing in his second straight NHL playoff game, and hopefully will look to add a tad more than he did in his first go-around.

 But as I said, overall, Kreider held his own in his debut, and that was all that was asked of him in the absence of Carl Hagelin (two games remaining on suspension).  

New York Rangers Probable Lineup

Postgame: Boyle, Lundqvist Lead Rangers to Shutout Win Over Sens; Rangers Take 2-1 Series Lead

At last, a sincere playoff hockey game with no shenanigans to take away from it. What we saw at Scotiabank place tonight in Game 3 between the Rangers and Senators was a hard-fought, respectable postseason contest featuring two teams that did not want to give an inch, starting with the play of their respective goaltenders. This time around, the Rangers were the ones to get the late lucky bounce that they converted on, and that ended up being the difference. The playoffs are all about opportunity, and the Rangers jumped all over theirs to take a 2-1 lead in the series on this night. 

In the first period of this game, the Rangers survived the early surge that was expected from the Senators in their first game in front of the home crowd in the playoffs. However, surviving, at least in my mind, was not satisfying enough after what occurred in Game 2 on Saturday. I expected the Blueshirts to come out with a much more urgent effort in the opening stanza, with plenty of offensive pressure and frequent body checks. So there was some disappointment when they only weathered the storm in the first twenty minutes. 

The amount of shots the Rangers passed up in that period was frustrating enough, along with the lacking pursuit of the puck in the offensive zone and a very soft forecheck. 

The second period saw New York transform into a new beast, though, as they came out with their legs going and applied that same forecheck that gave the Senators problems in Game 1 last week. This brought them a slew of opportunities, including a couple on the powerplay, that they did not find themselves with in the first period. While the Rangers pressed, Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson completely stood on his head between the pipes for the Sens. He was not going down without a fight. 

That fight lasted until 7:35 of the third period, when a bounce off the side of the net came to Brian Boyle, who lifted a backhander top shelf over the shoulder of Anderson to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. If there was one player I think every Ranger fan wanted to see score the game-winner tonight, it was Brian Boyle, not only because of what he was forced to deal with in Game 2, but also because he was hearing a rain of boos from the Scotiabank crowd every time he touched the puck. 

Just prior to the goal being scored, there was a play made in the defensive zone that is worthy of being pointed out. Playoff beast Anton Stralman made not one, but two diving plays to break up scoring opportunities for the Senators on Henrik Lundqvist, and then the Rangers came down and tallied on the ensuing rush the other way. Stralman, along with Boyle, has been one of the larger surprises for the Rangers in these playoffs. His impact on the lineup right now simply cannot be measured. He’s been stellar. 

Head coach John Tortorella, despite what occurred in Games 1 and 2, still had his team going into ‘lead defense’ mode after going up 1-0. You may question the decision there as I am right now, but the approach was slightly different this time around. In the two previous games, the Rangers attempted to have all five players on the ice clog the neutral zone. Tonight, though, they went with the 1-2-2 approach, with one forward pressuring, two falling back in the neutral zone and then the defense back at their own blue-line. This makes the probability of the Sens cleanly entering the offensive zone much lower. 

Still, Ottawa managed to enter the zone in the final minute and boy did they ever go to work. No amount of work that was too much for Henrik Lundqvist to handle, however. He made multiple sprawling stops in a major scramble around his net late there (the one on Kyle Turris was unreal), and unlike Saturday, he did not let anything go past him. 

Lundqvist clearly was heated after that overtime loss in Game 2, especially considering the lucky bounces the Senators received in order to battle back and win the game. But like a true competitor, Hank came out and completely stole the show tonight in Ottawa. There are no words that can describe the importance of a 39-save shutout in the playoffs. Lundqvist was out of his mind tonight.

Star 1A right behind Hank was Brian Boyle. There’s no joking around in the theory that an individual can completely erase their regular season in the playoffs. Boyle, hands down, has been the club’s best skater through three games of the postseason. Hell, he’s scored a vital goal in each of those games, so how couldn’t he be? But it’s not only the scoring; it’s the defensive work, the effort on the forecheck, the heady decisions he is making with the puck, and the list goes on and on. 

I have no choice but to take back all of what I said about Boyle during the regular season, because he’s a major reason why the Rangers are taking a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 on Wednesday. 

Thankfully some secondary contributors such as Boyle, Fedotenko and Prust are stepping up here, because the top guys have been nearly irrelevant in the past two outings. Yes, I am looking you, Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards. I will say that this duo played better tonight than they did in Game 2, but they are still not where they should be. There were some solid shifts here and there from Richie and Gabby, but just three shots between the two of them? They need to be more of a threat than that if this team has hopes of going anywhere in the postseason. 

As for their linemate in Carl Hagelin’s absence, Chris Kreider, overall you cannot complain about his NHL debut. Remember, these are extreme circumstances to subject a rookie to in first professional level game, and I think the 20-year-old Kreider held his own out there. He was a bit timid in the first period, but soon became more physical as the game went along, and he also showed that deadly speed of his at times as well. He was credited with one shot on the official scoresheet, but I’m pretty confident he had at least two. 

One thing I will say is that Kreider did look somewhat lost/confused or whatever you may call it in the defensive zone. Again, it was his first NHL game so I won’t take much from that, but he was switched out late for Derek Stepan, who could fill more of a defensive role on that line. 

Kreider was out there for a total 11:11 on the night. 

Lastly, I really liked Dan Girardi’s game on defense tonight. He stood strong around the net, as did his partner in Ryan McDonagh, but was huge late in the third as well. He played a total of 26:10, which led the team by far, and also picked up an assist on Boyle’s game-winner. 

The series will take a break tomorrow before returning to Scotiabank Place for Game 4 on Wednesday night. As has been proven, each remaining tilt in this series is going to being a grinding battle, but if the Rangers can go up three games to one on Wednesday, I think their chances of wrapping this up at home will be pretty darn good. It won’t be easy, though. 

Pregame: Rangers Seek Game 3 Response in Ottawa (Kreider In)

After the raucous events that took place in Saturday’s Game 2 between the New York Rangers and the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden, this series is guaranteed to get a whole lot more interesting as it progresses. 

Both clubs will enter Scotiabank Place for Game 3 on this night with a win under their belt, seeking a tiebreaking effort that will put them ahead for the time being. For New York, their objective will be to bring their game back down to a calm as it was in Game 1, rather than the flow-lacking scramble they found themselves in on Saturday. The Senators, though, have to be satisfied with their gutsy performance to steal an away win in overtime, so they will surely result to physical play as a means of ignition once again. Whichever style of play prevails could very well decide tonight’s outcome. 

The Rangers, however, are not a team to lose focus very often, and that begins with head coach John Tortorella. They had to deal with all sorts of distractions throughout the regular season and did so successfully, never once giving in to the sideshows helped to be developed by the media. So it would be safe to assume that the circus of a game that took place on Saturday is now a thing of the past for these Blueshirts, and that it will have no carry-over influence on the team moving forward.

That being said, there are some areas of the team’s game that they must look to improve from Saturday, and it all begins with their level of physicality. The Senators came out looking to draw blood in Game 2, as blatantly stated by head coach Paul MacLean’s starting lineup. The Rangers didn’t have a response, and it hurt them when all was said and done. 

Well, I guess that’s not entirely true since Brandon Dubinsky attempted to take things into his own hands, but we all know what happened with that situation. 

Beginning with the forwards right on through to the defense, the Rangers need to be more aggressive with the body tonight. They forced Ottawa into mistakes in Game 1 by constantly being in their faces and delivering checks whenever they could. That was not the case in Game 2, and not by coincidence rookie defenseman Erik Karlsson ended up with ten shots on the night, putting on an incredible performance for the Sens. 

In addition to raising their physicality, the Blueshirts must also tame their behavior and remain discipline. I know, this all may seem contradictory, but they did a wonderful job of finding that happy medium in Game 1 – not so much on Saturday. Continuous penalties will sink this team, and it would be a crying shame if they cost themselves the series because of lack of discipline. 

Thankfully they have a solid penalty-kill to back them up, but their other half to the whole special teams thing is not so solid by any stretch. The Rangers’ powerplay, as it is now, is nothing but a momentum killer. I’ve found that they’ve begun to freeze up again as they did earlier in the year, and by that I mean lack of movement. The powerplay can be dynamite if they make moving plays, but this ‘stand still and wait for a lane to open up’ approach is simply not working out.  It needs to be fixed and fixed as soon as possible. 

Those are basically the keys to rebounding and taking Game 3 tonight in Ottawa, but what remains in question is New York’s lineup. Tortorella would not reveal who will be replacing the suspended Carl Hagelin in the lineup, keeping all of us as well as the opponent guessing. 

They essentially have three options here: 

1. Chris Kreider
2. John Scott
3. Steve Eminger with Stu Bickel moving to forward 

I’m sticking with my gut that the Rangers should play Kreider here. If they were going to go through the effort of signing the kid for the playoffs, then why not give him a shot? I would’ve preferred that he started out in the AHL as most everyone does right out of college, but now that he is here, utilize his abilities in the lineup with Hagelin out. 

As I said this morning, Kreider is nearly a carbon copy of Hagelin in terms of style of play. The swap has the potential to work out perfectly. 

As for Ottawa, captain Daniel Alfredsson stated today that he suffered a concussion from Hagelin’s elbow on Saturday, but will be a gametime decision for tonight’s game. 

Wait, what?

New York Rangers Lineup (confirmed, per warmups)

* Chris Kreider in for Rangers, no Daniel Alfredsson for Senators.