The Rangers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 2-1 to the Senators on Thursday. Henrik Lundqvist kept New York afloat throughout, especially in the first period when he made 21 saves. Ryan McDonagh gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead with a PPG about seven minutes into the second, Ryan Dzingel matched that PPG with one of his own with 1:21 left in the second. Erik Karlsson's fluky double-deflection goal off Derek Stepan and then the back of Lundqvist's helmet on a shot from just below the goal line in the corner with 4:11 left in the game proved to be the difference maker. New York and Ottawa meet in Game 2 Saturday at 3pm.
Game Lowlights:
My thoughts plus keys to the Game 1 loss and looking forward to Game 2:
1)
Lundqvist was a beast
If not for Lundqvist, this game is over in the first. He made 21 saves in the period, including nine in 5:15 of penalty kill time in the frame. One of those nine saves was a spectacular one robbing Mark Stone. The last time a Ranger made at least 21 saves in a postseason period was on April 13, 1968, when Eddie Giacomin made 22 stops in Game 4 of the quarterfinals against Chicago.
Even on both goals, almost impossible to blame Lundqvist. The first goal came after a solid save by Lundqvist on Alexandre Burrows. Marc Staal was engaged in front of the net, but when Dzingel grabbed the puck Staal went down rather than trying a stick check. Dzingel had the whole top of the net to shoot at and notched the game-tying goal. I wil get to the second goal below, but just a double fluky deflection, that’s it. You want to maybe say he should have been squared to the outside of the post, aybe, but he didn’t expect a shot, especially one to go off of Stepan and then the back of his helmet. But that’s being picayune. Lundqvist was brilliant again, end stop.
2)
Karlsson’s goal
I will say this first, AV and the team have every right to be annoyed that an icing wasn’t called, because that was a pretty blatant icing. But that also doesn’t take away from the fact that the puck should have been out of the defensive zone. Granted, if the icing is called it’s a moot point, regardless, the puck should have been cleared.
As the Post pointed out, “The Rangers’ bench was under the impression one linesman was calling for icing while another called it off late, not giving the Rangers much time to react.” If one official made the call, then the call has to stand, especially in a situation where players will stop when icing is called. Now, you should never stop until the whistle is blown and play is dead, but that’s a missed call that could have cost the Rangers a game depending on what happened the rest of the contest. In addition, early in that sequence, Burrows bumped into Lundqvist without a call, though I could see letting that go.
Almost as egregious was Rick Nash failing to get the puck out of the zone. Marc Methot gets a ton of credit for making a nice play to keep it in, but Nash has to get the puck out. One, it prevents an offensive chance, and second, it likely enables a line change to alleviate the pressure in what was a long shift. Every goal gets magnified in the playoffs, same with every small play. The Rangers didn’t do enough to win, which is why this play stands out even more.
3)
Too many passengers, not enough drivers
You can almost count on one hand those who had a really good effort or performance in Game 1. In a regular season game, that’s unacceptable. In a playoff contest, it’s indefensible. Now, credit has to go to Ottawa for making life tough for New York, but the players need to give more.
Lundqvist, McDonagh, who scored the Blueshirts’ lone goal on the power play, with Chris Kreider setting a screen, played 28:21 and had a lot of jump to his game, though he was on the ice for a ton of shots against (see below). Michael Grabner created several opportunities with his speed, hitting the post in the first, stoned on a breakaway later in that frame and also drawing the penalty on Cody Ceci that led to McDonagh’s goal. Who else?
J.T. Miller wasn’t highly visible. Kevin Hayes hit the post in the third but he needs to re-read his Players Tribune column and play like said he would in his writing. Nash wasn’t nearly as dominant or effective as he was against Montreal. Jimmy Vesey, as Brooks said, had his most lackluster game of the tournament. Pavel Buchnevich might have been the best of the KZB line and that’s not saying much. Kreider did little save for his screen on McDonagh’s goal while Mike Zibanejad did basically nothing. Stepan wasn’t bad but also didn’t generate a lot and the sa,e came be said about Mats Zuccarello. The fourth line was the best of all the trios.
On the blue line, Dan Girardi wasn’t bad, as he showed some jump, but look at the graph below and he and McDonagh were on ice for a ton of shots against. Brady Skjei wasn’t good, taking a stupid holding penalty leading to the tying goal while Brendan Smith was fine just not at his level of play from Games 4-6 against Montreal. Nick Holden may have had his best game in weeks, continuing his rise from the Game 3 benching, but that’s not to say he was dominant and Staal was just okay.
Here is some evidence as to who played well based on shots for and against. It doesn’t tell everything but interesting nonetheless:
4)
Style
Brooks said it best:
The Rangers weren’t patient enough, smart enough or disciplined enough, not by a long shot….When the Blueshirts weren’t shorthanded, they were icing the puck or having plays broken up in the neutral zone or at the offensive line. Not until they generated some zone time in the third period were the Rangers able to make more than cameo appearances in the offensive end of the ice. Otherwise, it was one and done, in and out
The fact is that the Rangers could not adequately deal with the Senators’ neutral-zone trap, and they couldn’t develop the high-tempo game they need to put teams on their heels. It seemed every time they dumped it in, it was soon coming right back at them. The forecheck was hardly forceful — forget trying to wear down Karlsson — and any opportunities they got on Anderson came off quick lead-pass breakaways, either botched or shot at Anderson’s pads.
Those two paragraphs sum up yesterday well. There were moments where New York played like they want to and what we expect. But those moments were few and far between. The team needs to be way more aggressive going to the front of the net, creating traffic in front of Anderson. In addition, a tape-to-tape pass would be nice, as the Rangers failed repeatedly to make what should be simple plays, which contributed to their ineffectiveness and made it look the effort was lacking.
5)
Stay out of the box:
New York was shorthanded four times overall, including three times in the first period where Lundqvist made nine saves. Those penalties put the Rangers on their heels and gave the Senators momentum. Skjei’s penalty in the second was a killer, since it let Ottawa tie the game late and have confidence heading into the third. If not for that penalty, maybe it’s 1-0 after two and a totally different game.
6)
Missed Opportunities:
Shots off the post from Grabner in the first period and Hayes in the third, as well as the missed chances on odd-man rushes, including a missed shot by Grabner on a breakaway. While the offense wasn’t great, the team still had 35 shots, at least 11 in each period. Not all of them were quality shots but Anderson had some pressure. However, that pressure came in spurts and wasn’t consistent enough. Look at Ottawa’s shot chart and it further emphasizes just how good Lundqvist was and how average at best the D was.
Here is the Rangers' one and look how many from outside though, despite what has been said, the team still did have some quality chances, just not as many as Ottawa's:
7)
Enough with playing the media
“Tonight, the players didn’t want to get swept in four,” said Ottawa coach Guy Boucher. “All we could hear was how much they were going to crush us, it’s a scary team, they’ve got four lines, their goaltender is outstanding and there was a lot of fear tonight that helped us and we were able to do it.”
Enough with the woe is me. No one really said you would be swept. Most felt that it would be a hard fought series and few if any said Ottawa would be overmatched and run out of their own building and the series. I get gamesmanship and all, but this is getting ridiculous already. I am sure the players love the us against the world mentality, which works when there is a stark difference. In this case, there isn’t one and much of the media felt NY would win in 6 or 7 games, so not as if they were being dismissed. But get use to hearing this rhetoric every game. If Ottawa wins, it will be of the above. If they lose a game or series, Boucher will say that matches what most predicted what would happen.
8)
Look forward to Game 2
Despite the loss, I don’t foresee any lineup changes. Would putting Tanner Glass or Brandon Pirri or Matt Puempel or Kevin Klein or Adam Clendening or Steve Kampfer really make a difference? To me, the answer is a clear no. You could argue certain players should be benched, and if it was the regular season, that might happen. But you don’t make that move in the post-season and not done 1-0 in the series. I could see AV tweaking the line combinations, but I prefer that he keeps what’s been together for four games to see if chemistry arises. The fourth line has been very good, so that one shouldn’t be touched. We saw what Miller-Hayes-Zuccarello could do in Game 6, so you have to hope they rebound. AV could mix and match on the first line, switching Nash and Kreider and see if that sparks the two lines. The blue line will stay the same, in both personnel and pairings.
Playoff Schedule:
Ottawa Senators (A2) vs. New York Rangers (WC1)
Thursday, April 27, 7pm: Ottawa 2 Rangers 1, Ottawa leads series 1-0
Saturday, April 29, 3pm: NY Rangers @ Ottawa | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports
Tuesday, May 2, 7pm: Ottawa @ NY Rangers | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
Thursday, May 4, 7:30pm: Ottawa @ NY Rangers | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
*Saturday, May 6, TBD: NY Rangers @ Ottawa | TBD
*Tuesday, May 9, TBD: Ottawa @ NY Rangers | TBD
*Thursday, May 11, TBD: NY Rangers @ Ottawa | TBD
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