The Rangers rebounded from an embarrassingly poor and uninspired home loss in Game 3 to win Game 4 and even their best of series at two games each. Jesper Fast scored in the first, and after Torrey Mitchell tied the game late in that frame, Rick Nash got the game winner 4:28 into the second period. New York played strong defense and didn't sit on the lead the rest of a way. She Weber hit the post with 1:18 left, which was the closest Montreal got to tying the game, and Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves to secure the victory. Off to Montreal for Game 5 on Thursday.
Game highlights:
My thoughts:
1) Really liked the line tinkering AV did from Game 3 to Game 4. Granted, he had little choice, seeing how non-existent the offense was in addition to how flat and poorly the team played. But good to move on from the grit and grind lineup to more of a skill one.
Kreider-Zibanejad-Buchnevich, Vesey-Stepan-Nash Miller-Hayes-Zuccarello Grabner-Lindberg-Fast
2) Nash was a beast again. First, the play where he drove to the net and was called for goalie interference set the tone. Then, the initial forecheck led by Stepan, the keep at the line by McDonagh, who lost control of his stick but used his skates to stop the puck and get around Max Pacioretty, followed by the gorgeous pass through two defensemen to and hard drive by the Nash, opening Price's five hole and the goal. Nash has been extremely good all series, carrying forward his play from late in the year.
3) Zib, after looking completely horrific the first three games, showed signs of improvement yesterday. He won 58.8% of his draws and more important, didn't shy away from hitting Tomas Plekanec at the blue line. His line with Buch and Kreider was better, as seen below, than how his line has played the first several games of the series. Zib still hasn't regained the form he showed early in the season before the injury but he didn't seem to right the ship a little late in the year. If he can show that the next few games, New York should be in decent shape.
Shea Weber and Andrei Markov got beaten up by almost every ranger skater. pic.twitter.com/dQ3yaFAEnN
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) April 19, 2017
4) Buch made things happen. Every time he touched the puck, you expected offense or at least, a quality chance. No way he should come out of the lineup and the 12 for Game 5 should be the same in terms of players and assignments. I can say the same thing about Vesey, who has grown in confidence. Nice move in the third period forcing Carey Price into a toe save. He was active and aggressive and didn't shy away.
5) Quickie did what he always does and the goal was a bonus. Bad turnover by Andrei Markov and Fast was in the right place at the right time. His goal at 11:39 of the first represented the team’s first 5-on-5 goal in a home playoff game in 374:04, going back to before the losing streak started in Game 1 of the 2015 conference final against Tampa Bay.
6) Lindberg was solid as well, winning 55.6% of his draws. Having Grabner on that line adds a speed element. Grabner looked better suited to playing with those two on that line.
7) Kreider and Miller are still fighting it. A bit surprised at each, especially Miller, who usually brings it nightly. You wonder if he is nursing an injury, as he has been grimacing a lot during the games. With CK20, did the goalie interference talk get to his head? Maybe when they get past Montreal, the psychological issue and blockage gets removed and he reverts back to what we have seen in the past?
8) The big key last night, as Steve Valiquette and Ron Duguay pointed out, was a quick start. Kevin Hayes wins the draw, boom first shot on goal. The team created opportunities after that early. That helped engaged the crowed early. Justin Tasch said it well: "Everything about this one felt different from two nights earlier, from the bread-and-butter speed and playmaking the Rangers displayed to generate far more looks, a more aggressive and cohesive forecheck, determination in winning pucks and the crowd, whose cheers and applause were louder and more frequent as they responded to a vastly improved performance." Getting the crowd active early was huge and then the team kept attacking, which kept the fans engaged,
9) Valiquette also pointed out that the Rangers changed their strategy. Rather than dumping it hard and letting Price play the puck to the d-men to clear the zone. New York, when they couldn't carry the puck, dumped it softly so it didn't hit the trapezoid, preventing Price from playing the puck and forcing the D to make a play. Doing so gave New York better forecheck opportunities and resulted in mistakes by Montreal.
9) Defensively, AV went back to McDonagh-Girardi, Staal-Holden and Skjei-Smith. McDonagh was a monster; all over the place offensively, physical defensively and making plays all over the ice. Girardi was solid as well, as his game has improved by leaps and bounds from what we saw earlier in the year.
Holden wasn't great in the first and at times throughout the game, but better than he was in Games 1-2. The goal against was an odd one, as the puck slowed at the boards, almost like it was touched by the door openings as players came on and off the ice. Holden grossly misplayed the 2-on-1, giving Mitchell a slam dunk on the feed from Weber for the evener.
Smith was battered and bruised all night and never gave any quarter. Alexander Radulov slashed him just above the gloves - uncalled - and he didn't miss a shift. Late in the third, he got entangled with Paul Byron and may have cross-checked himself, but didn't miss a shift. If this is what they can expect from him, re-signing Smith is a no-brainer.
AV went with four D the last nine minutes of the game, sitting Skjei and Holden. I get sitting Holden, but a bit surprised he sat Skjei.
11) Lundqvist was Lundqvist. Other than a scare in the third, when he looked behind him and the puck squibbed wide and Weber's shot off the post, he was in control all game. Made key saves, especially the one on Andrew Shaw in the first to keep the game scoreless, and was in the right position throughout the contest.
12) I like that the officials let them play. But the hooking call on Stepan was ridiculous. The lack of one on Radulov. The six on six for both teams on the Montreal goal missed by all the officials. Ott raising his skate towards Zucc after the collided on the boards (When MSG did the post-game and highlighted how engaged Zucc was, it was clear as day from Ott as he went into the Montreal bench. Got lucky Zucc was far enough away from him so he didn't get cut). Plekanec interfering with Hayes as he tried to get over on Weber to prevent the blast. But calls were missed on both sides.
13) Game 3 was an abomination. They were flat from the beginning and outplayed throughout. New York was off the entire game. It was amazing that at a 1-1 series and so much on the line, they came out like they did. I wish we could say it was a one off but unfortunately, as you see below, this wasn't the case.
12) Prior to yesterday's win, the Rangers last home playoff win was Game 1 2015 ECF. Since then they had lost Games 2, 5, 7 of that Tampa series, then Games 3 & 4 last year vs Pittsburgh & Game 3 to Montreal, getting outscored 22-4 in the process.
Playoff Schedule:
Montreal (A1) vs. New York (WC1)
G1 Wed., April 12 NY Rangers 2 Montreal 0, Rangers lead series 1-0 G2 Fri., April 14 Montreal 2 NY Rangers 1, OT Series tied 1-1 G3 Sun., April 16 Montreal 3 NY Rangers 1 Montreal leads series 2-1 G4 Tue., April 18 NY Rangers 2 Montreal 1 Series tied 2-2 G5* Thu., April 20 NY Rangers @ Montreal, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, NBCSN, CBC, TVA G6* Sat., April 22 Montreal @ NY Rangers, TBD, TBD G7* Mon., April 24 NY Rangers @ Montreal, TBD, TBD