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New York Rangers Blogger •
Before this series started, many thought and myself included, that Alexander Ovechkin would haunt the NY Rangers on the scoreboard. Instead it's Alexander Ovechkin who is waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweats. Finding a way to beat Henrik Lundqvist is certainly robbing him of his precious Zzzz's.
The Washington Capitals' frustrations will only be compounded when they have to face not only Henrik Lundqvist and the rest of the NY Rangers but now also the Madison Square Garden faithful; 18,000 strong and as loud as ever. When the puck drops tonight for Game 3 the Rangers find themselves not only back on their home turf but also with a gratifying two game lead and all the momentum.
Where in Game 1 Henrik Lundqvist was able to shut down Alexander Ovechkin and his 13 shots on goal, in Game 2 he shut down the entire Capitals team with an exceptional 35 save shut out. Meanwhile both the Rangers forwards and defense all have been pitching in and getting their bodies in front of blistering, speeding pucks for another 29 Washington shots that never even made it to the net.
The Capitals played very well on their penalty killing and their defense had tightened up greatly from Game 1. The Rangers had trouble keeping sustained pressure and controlling the puck in the offensive zone throughout the game. Rookie net minder Simeon Varlamov, who replaced Jose Theodore, only faced 23 shots. The Rangers will need to test him more in Game 3 and make the Capitals second guess their goaltender decision.
The Rangers did however regress in one area, where the power play was successful against the Capitals with two goals in Game 1 the Rangers were unable to convert any of their five opportunities on Saturday. Luckily for the Blueshirts the goal scored by Ryan Callahan in the first period was just enough to give them their 5th win in a row and their 2nd in the series.
Experience and goaltending has been the Rangers strongest asset so far in this series. All the Rangers players know what it takes and what they need to do on both sides of the puck. Blocking shots, taking the body and disrupting the Capitals' offense every chance they get. You can't help feel pride as you watch players like Sean Avery, Ryan Callahan, Fredrik Sjostrom, Blair Betts and Brandon Dubinsky take it to the Capitals each and every shift as they willingly sacrifice their bodies.
Also, there has been a nice redemption so far for both Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival who both have drastically picked up their games in the playoffs. The pairing taken over the mighty task of covering Alexander Ovechkin and have so far successfully contained the big Russian.
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With a win tonight the Rangers can push the Capitals out on the edge of the cliff. What they can't do is relax into a false sense of security. The Capitals are going to come right out after the Rangers from the opening face-off and they are going to come hard. The Rangers can't afford to just sit back and let them come at them and Coach John Tortorella won't allow them to.
Send me an e-mail and two more Rangers' wins
The Washington Capitals' frustrations will only be compounded when they have to face not only Henrik Lundqvist and the rest of the NY Rangers but now also the Madison Square Garden faithful; 18,000 strong and as loud as ever. When the puck drops tonight for Game 3 the Rangers find themselves not only back on their home turf but also with a gratifying two game lead and all the momentum.
Where in Game 1 Henrik Lundqvist was able to shut down Alexander Ovechkin and his 13 shots on goal, in Game 2 he shut down the entire Capitals team with an exceptional 35 save shut out. Meanwhile both the Rangers forwards and defense all have been pitching in and getting their bodies in front of blistering, speeding pucks for another 29 Washington shots that never even made it to the net.
The Capitals played very well on their penalty killing and their defense had tightened up greatly from Game 1. The Rangers had trouble keeping sustained pressure and controlling the puck in the offensive zone throughout the game. Rookie net minder Simeon Varlamov, who replaced Jose Theodore, only faced 23 shots. The Rangers will need to test him more in Game 3 and make the Capitals second guess their goaltender decision.
The Rangers did however regress in one area, where the power play was successful against the Capitals with two goals in Game 1 the Rangers were unable to convert any of their five opportunities on Saturday. Luckily for the Blueshirts the goal scored by Ryan Callahan in the first period was just enough to give them their 5th win in a row and their 2nd in the series.
Experience and goaltending has been the Rangers strongest asset so far in this series. All the Rangers players know what it takes and what they need to do on both sides of the puck. Blocking shots, taking the body and disrupting the Capitals' offense every chance they get. You can't help feel pride as you watch players like Sean Avery, Ryan Callahan, Fredrik Sjostrom, Blair Betts and Brandon Dubinsky take it to the Capitals each and every shift as they willingly sacrifice their bodies.
Also, there has been a nice redemption so far for both Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival who both have drastically picked up their games in the playoffs. The pairing taken over the mighty task of covering Alexander Ovechkin and have so far successfully contained the big Russian.
---
With a win tonight the Rangers can push the Capitals out on the edge of the cliff. What they can't do is relax into a false sense of security. The Capitals are going to come right out after the Rangers from the opening face-off and they are going to come hard. The Rangers can't afford to just sit back and let them come at them and Coach John Tortorella won't allow them to.
Send me an e-mail and two more Rangers' wins
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