The Rangers advanced to the next round with a hard fought 2-1 overtime win over the Penguins on Friday. New York loved that scored this round, notching all four victories 2-1. Pittsburgh put up a tremendous battle, but as the Rangers have done all season, they found a way to win.
Game Highlights with Duguay/Valiquette analysis:
Hagelin goal from a few angles:
A heck of a game. Up-and-down, back-and-forth. Unreal goaltending at both ends. Crossbars exchanged in the third. New York did just enough to pull out the win and move on.
New York got off to a great start with Derek Stepan notching a PPG 4:23 into the game. The big play on the goal was Derick Brassard pressuring Ben Lovejoy after losing the draw. Lovejoy was unable to clear the puck, as Dan Boyle kept it in. Boyle got to Chris Kreider, who got it back to Brass and over to Boyle at the point. His shot was saved, but Stepan kicked the rebound to his stick and in.
After that, it was the Marc-Andre Fleury show, as he made save after save. That was the story most of the night, as Fleury made 34 saves in the losing efforts. Fleury allowed just 11 goals in the five games, two of which came in overtime to saddle him with losses. he by far was the Penguins' best player on the ice and the reason why they were in each game.
Fleury was matched step-by-step by Henrik Lundqvist. Hank made 37 saves and finished the series with a 1.53 goals against average and .939 save percentage. When Pittsburgh came hard, it was Lundqvist who still tall, making any of us who questioned if he was really ready for the playoffs after missing 25 games with his injury look foolish. Lundqvist was especially strong in the third, stopping 14 shots. The one shot that did beat him came on a deflection in front. Nick Spaling got it with his arm before he made contact with Lundqvist, so the call of good goal was more than accurate.
Pittsburgh controlled play much of the third, almost grabbing the lead but Sidney Crosby hit the post. Then JT Miller did the same and when Dan Boyle shanked a one-timer with an open net 3:44, you knew overtime loomed. After losing three OT games to LA, New York #changedtheending, getting goals from Kevin Hayes and Carl Hagelin the past two games.
The game-winner was Dominic Moore with a bit of Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Jesper Fast and a lot of Hagelin. Moore beat Paul Martin to the puck and put a backhand on net, saved by Fleury and was able to stick with it to get it to the point to Girardi, who put across the blue line to McDonagh. He put it over the net, where Moore was able to get the puck. Moore maintained possession, holding off Martin which allowed Hagelin enough time to get a bouncing puck that just went past Crosby. Fast went down the slot, taking Patric Hornqvist with him, giving Hagelin more room to come in front while Lovejoy retreated towards Fleury. That extra space helped Hagelin beat Fleury short-side for the game and series winner. You all know my view on Hagelin, as I have been advocating locking him for a while. He is a perfect third line player, who steps up his game in the postseason, evidenced in him leading the Rangers in playoff goals since the 2013 playoffs with 12. in addition, he has 21 points in the 42 playoff games since 2013.
With the Rangers advancing, the focus now is four-fold:
Mats Zuccarello - he took a Ryan McDonagh slap shot to either his head or helmet late in the first period. While AV said he thought he had heard he was alright, until word is known, the concern level has to be extremely high. Questions of a concussion or a broken bone have to be going through all of us. Losing Zucc would be huge, as he plays bigger than his size, is not fazed by the moment and a perfect complement to Brass and Nash. In addition, if he is out, that shifts up the lines, with St. Louis likely to move up to the top trio, Fast to play with Hagelin and Hayes and James Sheppard to get back into the lineup with Moore and Glass. We likely won't know anything until Monday, when the Rangers return to practice.
Opponent - let me say this, i really don't care who it is. The Islanders and Capitals each present their own benefits and challenges as an opponent. The good news is that either team will come in having been extended to seven games in a physical battle. However, as Carp wrote, while the series could start Wednesday, with Eric Clapton booked for concerts at the Garden Friday and Saturday – the next round could be played Thursday and Sunday. That would help the Isles and Capitals, as they will get an extra day before Game 1 and one between Games 1 and 2, thanks a lot James Dolan. Of course, they still could go Wednesday night and thenSaturday afternoon, allowing MSG a quick turnaround from hockey to concert, so it remains to be seen what the schedule will be.
The Islanders have a banged up blue line and at times, subject goaltending, though Jaroslav Halak rebounded from a poor Game 5 to be solid in Game 6. They have lots of weapons, but the secondary scoring that carried them early on has hit a wall. Anders Lee was scratched Saturday though Mikhail Grabovski returned to action.
Playing the Islanders brings a whole host of off-the-ice issues. The NY-NY battle would take on a life of its own, as the sideshow of it being hated rivals and the Islanders playing their last season at the Nassau Coliseum will create additional buzz. The Rangers will have to overcome that aspect beyond just winning on the ice. They lost the first three match ups to the Islanders this year but rebounded to win the last two.
The Capitals have taken a major step forward. Barry Trotz and goaltending coach Mitch Korn has really helped Braden Holtby. Of course, Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are a heck of a 1-2 combination to defend. But with Evgeni Kuznetsov, Marcus Johansson, Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer and Jason Chimera there as well, Washington has depth up front. The blue line is much improved, as John Carlson continues to develop while Karl Alzner has been solid. Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik have taken pressure off Mike Green, leaving Tim Gleason as the only weak link.
The Rangers won three of four against the Caps, and over the last three seasons are 7-3-1 versus Washington. The two teams met four times in five years in the playoffs, with NY winning three of them, only losing in 2009 when they blew a 3-1 lead. New York has the speed edge on the Capitals but would have to answer to their fourth line, led by Tom Wilson. The Martin-Cizakas-Clutterbuck line for the Isles is very dangerous but the Wilson-Latta-Laich is no picnic, putting the Rangers final trio as a key part of the equation.
Compete level - the Rangers upped theirs as the series wore on. I don't think they were great at all times, save for defensively. If Zucc is out, it has a material impact on the team's chemistry and possibly their ability to raise their game. But the whole year has been the next man up, so why should it be different now. The first round was tough, this one will be tougher. Each team is better and deeper than Pitt, even if the Isles' blue line is banged up. To win, NY the Rangers will have to be a lot better this round.
Kevin Klein - the extra day off also could allow Klein to return and also Keith Yandle to be over his illness. Klein has been out with a fractured left arm since March 11. He looked close to retuning this past week, but had some soreness and then it was announced the bone may be taking longer to heal than expected. Matt Hunwick has stood in nicely for him, but have a healthy and 100% Klein would be huge this series. If he is not 100%, sit up as he would have a hard time against a big, tough and physical Caps team.
Four games down, 12 to go. One series down, three to go. The battle gets harder as you move along but the Rangers are up to the task. Bring on the next opponent.