The Rangers built an early 2-0 and third period 4-1 lead and held on for dear life to pull out a 4-3 Game 6 win over the Capitals. It was Chris Kreider early and Henrik Lundqvist throughout, but especially in the third, that propelled New York to the win. Now, both teams head to MSG for a Game 7 Wednesday evening at 7:30PM.
Has anyone exhaled yet? Has your heartbeat and/or pule returned to normal? Give the Rangers credit for the leads and Washington for the push back. It’s easy to say based on the below stats that New York “sat… on the lead but I think it was more Washington upping their compete level. However, human nature is to maybe mentally take the foot off the gas, which is I think what also happened here.
A few thoughts:
Chris Kreider – speed, power, skill all on display on the first goal. The stretch pass from Jesper Fast to Kreider started it, but then it was all Kreider. The speed to get inside of Matt Niskanen, the strength and power to maintain that position and the skill and stretch to basically one handed lift it over Braden Holtby. We are witnessing the emergence of possibly the next big power forward in the NHL.
The second goal was good clock awareness. Troy Brouwer was sent to the box for roughing Rangers left wing Carl Hagelin with 3.4 seconds left in the period. Derek Stepan won the faceoff – see what happens when you win draws - to Derick Brassard, whose shot appeared to deflect off of Jay Beagle before getting in on Holtby. He made the save, but the puck sat under him and Holtby accidentally slid it across the crease to Kreider, who was alone at the left post. Kreider blasted the puck in the net with the goal coming 0.2 before the first period horn.
Rick Nash – eight-game goalless drought ended. You can argue that the play should have been whistled dead for icing – any failure on the refs – but Washington was in position to get the puck out. But, Nash forced Niskanen into a turnover in the corner to the right of the net. Brassard got the puck and set up Martin St. Louis for a chance in the slot. His shot went wide right, but St. Louis regained the puck – which was the entire key to the play - and gave it to Nash, who got around Nicklas Backstrom – another huge key - and beat Holtby with a shot over his right pad.
To me the most impressive part was Nash’s patience. You would’ve expected him to rush the shot, seeing how close in he was and how he struggled to date. But he waited to get open space and then put in home for his second of the playoffs.
Ryan McDonagh – absolutely blasted by Alexander Ovechkin late in the third on a play that I can understand why seevral, including myself, felt a call could be made. But, McDonagh did turn to try and avoid the full impact of the hit – more on that later given Ovi’s comments – but his injured shoulder took the brunt of it. As such, the non-call was likely the right one in retrospect. I though he was done for the night and the playoffs. Thankfully, he returned to the bench and then the ice playing nearly 2:30 of the remaining 3:02 left, including a key block and clearance of the puck.
Henrik Lundqvist – gave up three goals but can hardly blame him for any and saved the Rangers’ season…again. This might have been the worse game played in the six contests by New York but they found a way to win. Thanks to Lundqvist.
You look at some of the saves he made and you shake your head. In the first, he denied Jason Chimera coming down the right wing with his right pad, then kicked away Troy Brouwer’s follow up and finally grabbed Browuer’s sharp angle shot with his blocker hand. In the third, he stoned Ovechkin in the middle while he cutting from left to the right, then, he stoned a fluttering puck after Ovi split two defenseman with the puck bouncing.
After the game, you could see the exhaustion on his face. Over the next two days, New York better be getting his electrolytes up to prevent any dehydration and make sure he is 100% for Game 7. We said at the time he was first hurt once we had a sense he would be back that the time off could be beneficial. That has proven to be the case, as Lundqvist is much fresher now than he usually would be.
Adjustments – give Barry Trotz credit for an adjustment he made. He moved Marcus Johansson to play with Backstrom and Ovechkin. That move bumped Joel Ward to center Evgeny Kuznetsov and Chimera’s second line. That second line scored all three goals, as Chimera sliced New York's 2-0 lead in half with his goal 28 seconds into the second period. In the third, Kuznetsov cut the Rangers lead to 4-2 at 7:40 of the period and Ward made it 4-3 at 10:33. New York will need to react to this change, which should be in effect to start Game 7. The Rangers will need to counter this by utilizing the last change appropriately.
Titled Ice – the Rangers started great but didn’t finish that way. In the first, the Rangers had 20 shots on Holtby and Washington responded with 17 shots on Lundqvist. The play was relatively even, with both sides controlling action, but then it flipped dramatically.
In the second, Washington had 18 shots to the Rangers four. In the third, it was 10-4 Washington, but that number just shows shots that reached the net. Overall, Washington outattempted New York 96-55; let that number sink in, 96-55. New York blocked 34 shots to Washington’s 15, while the Capitals had 19 shots miss the mark compared to the Rangers’ 12.
The ice was tilted even more than the 96-55 number, if that’s possible. New York was in full scramble and panic mode. The two goals in the third by Washington were scored due to good hard work down low and New York’s inability to push them out along with the subpar defense. According to war-on-ice.com, the Rangers did not have a single shot attempt for the last 14:56 of the final period, compared to a whopping 32 shot attempts levied by the Capitals. That is insanity and why I was drenched after the game from pacing while my heart rate was like 1,000 beats. Of course, a few of those attempts came after the horrific delay of game call on Sheppard when the puck clearly hit the glass. Anyone else think the GMs should have voted to have replay on this start in the post-season?
Ovechkin – for all highlighting how he and Backstrom haven’t scored since Game 2, I ask you two things, when watching, do you make sure you know where he is every minute on the ice and does he scare to death when he touches the puck? The answers to both are yes, so ignore his lack of scoring.
Now on to his comments. The “guarantee… doesn’t bother me in the slightest. The second comment does.
“We gonna come back and win this series. We’re gonna play our game and we’re gonna come back and we’re gonna play Montreal or Tampa.…
Did anyone expect him to say Washington is going to lose? He is the face of the franchise and telling his teammates despite the two losses, he believes.
“We have to play that way,… Ovechkin said. “You can see they don’t want to play that game. We knew that. As soon as we put the puck deep and hit their D they fade because we’re big and strong. You see how we score goals. We put bodies in front of Lundqvist and it goes in.…
That comment questions the manhood of the Rangers. Granted, McDonagh should have stayed stationary and not turned, but he took the hit. Have the Rangers turtled in any way? Not taken the punishment throughout the series? Washington may have won physical battles and gotten goals, like the second and third ones yesterday, but that’s not due to the D fading, as Ovechkin said. In addition, the Washington D has turned the puck over as well due to strong forechecking, was that due to fading.
History and Numbers – a few interesting one on several sites:
New York also had 2-0 leads in Games 1 and 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round and Game 2 against the Capitals; they won all three of those games by one goal.The Rangers are 13-3 in games when they can be eliminated since Game 6 against the Senators in that series. They are 7-1 in potential elimination games under coach Alain Vigneault, who is in his second season behind New York's bench.
The Rangers have killed 11-of-12 power plays so far this series. They were 4-for-4 yesterday and are 10-for-10 in the past five games
Rangers are 6-0 in Game 7s at MSG, Washington is 0-9 in series after blowing a two-game lead.
Lundqvist’s last Game 7 loss: To Caps in D.C. in 2009. Since then, an NHL-record 5-0, with a 0.80 GAA, .973 save percentage and one shutout
This is what I wrote after Game 6 against Pittsburgh last year, think I will run it again the next few days:
All that matters is that our team, the one that after Game 4 looked washed up and down for the year, has found a way to extend the series to Game 7. You can say we are playing with house money and that's right. But you know what, to extend it to Game 7 and lose might be more painful than going out in five. Look at the 1939 Rangers. How would you have liked to been a fan and see your team win Games 5 and 6 only to lose Game 7 in triple-OT? Heartbreaking. They have done parts one and two. To make it complete, do part three.
I said I would run this until the series ends because it's how I feel, so here you go.
If you are a fan, you are a fan through good and bad. If not, then you aren't a true fan. You can be pissed and angry and disappointed and disenfranchised and wanting to toss it all in, but you don't because you are a fan. Even if your belief is shattered to the core, as it is for many of us, you are a fan and that's what keeps you here.
You're a fan because of the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. It's in your heart and in your soul. It's part of your life blood. It never ever goes away, regardless of what happens. It's why this sucks and hurts down to your core. That's a fan and that's why we watch and root and pray and hope to the hockey gods. We are Rangers fans, and no matter what happens, you know and I know and we all know that will never stop regardless of the end result. WE ARE ALL RANGERS!!!