The Rangers had one representative in the All-Star Game. Henrik Lundqvist, as he always does, represented the organization with class while providing a world class effort. In both the Skills Competition and All-Star Game, Lundqvist was at the top of his game.
Saturday, Lundqvist took part in the GEICO NHL Save Streak. With a pair of five-save streaks, Lundqvist, who went first, led the competition for a bit. He was passed by Pekka Rinne, with 13 saves in a row, and then Marc-Andre Fleury, who won the competition with a staggering 14 saves in a row. Lundqvist looked solid between the pipes and that was just a portend of what was to come Sunday.
In the All-Star Game, Lundqvist was between the pipes in the first period between the Metro and Atlantic Divisions. Lundqvist stopped five or seen shots, several of them on breakaways or wide-open attempts in front. The joke - which really isn’t one - is that Lundqvist was prepped for this game playing behind the Rangers’ defense. Included in the five saves, was Lundqvist stoning Auston Matthews on a breakaway, stopping country mate Erik Karlsson with a right pad save on a cross slot pass and then later on, Mike Green at the end of period to preserve a 3-2 Metro lead. Lundqvist’s night ended after the period as the Metro and Braden Holtby were blasted in the second period.
Lundqvist said after the game:
"The whole weekend has been awesome." Hear from @HLundqvist30 following the #NHLAllStar Game in Tampa. #NYR pic.twitter.com/1bBB68orlI
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 29, 2018
In the AHL All-Star Skills competition, John Gilmour or he Hartford Wolf Pack was the fastest skater with a 13.663 time. We have mentioned Gilmour several times this year, along with Neal Pionk, when discussions as to which defenseman should be called up has been talked about on the blog. While winning that competition doesn’t mean a promotion is warranted, it’s nice to see that Gilmour has those kind of wheels, which could factor into a possible future call up.
As I noted in the blog comments Saturday night, RIP Dan Rakusan, aka Czechmate. The ones who have been here since I started blogging will remember Dan. Cancer flat out sucks. Rock out in heaven, Dan.