The Rangers took what looks to be a commanding 2-0 series with a 3-1 win Monday. Montreal carried play most of the game - save for a stretch in the first period - but were stoned repeatedly by Henrik Lundqvist. New York benefitted from a fortunate bounce - more on that later - for one goal but their other two came on excellent passes setting up each of the markers. The story of the night though was Lundqvist, he kept New York in it during the first and was there at every turn to repeatedly blunt the Canadiens' attack.
Game Highlights:
A few things from me:
Lundqvist. I am sure at some point in terms I will run out of superlatives for him, but right now, that is not the case. Positionally, he has been nearly perfect. Challenging when necessary. Excellent side-to-side movement. His glove, which has been a question at times, has been top notch these playoffs. Early on he set the tone, stoning Rene Bourque twice, then Lars Eller early in the second and David Desharnais late in the frame. In the third, it was glove save on PK Subban 43 seconds into the frame and then the rest of the period, he repeatedly stopped Subban, who was a one-man shooting gallery. Montreal out-attempted NY 63-36 and outshot them 41-30, but the difference was Lundqvist. You wonder if he is in the opponents' head, given some of the comments, especially recently as him being lucky, since that deflects some of the credit away from him. There is always a component of luck with any goalie, but his skill level has shown through so far this postseason. Granted, there is a long way to go, but those who have said he needs this kind of run to validate his status as an elite goalie, there are getting it in spades.
Speed/Kreider. Something we have spoken about a lot is the difference that speed makes. We saw it in Game 1 on Kreider's goal. Yesterday, Rick Nash's goal was set up due to speed. Montreal's D backed up off of Kreider, giving him space and a passing lane. Nash's speed got him in the right place for the perfect cross-ice pass and shot from the right circle just past Dustin Tokarski's glove. In addition, speed helps you defensively. We saw Kreider and Dominic Moore stick with PK Subban, forcing him to turn several times rather than gain a head of speed to gain the neutral and offensive zones unfettered. Kreider entered the game a marked man and it didn't seem to bother him one bit, in fact, he almost relished it. Have to love that attitude from a young player. It's amazing how much he has grown in the past year.
Quick response. Montreal got the early goal they needed to get the crowd into it. In addition, they were 7-0 these playoffs when scoring first. Following the ensuing faceoff, a soft backhand clear up the boards by Tomas Plekane came to Ryan McDonagh, whose shot deflected off of Josh Gorges and behind Tokarski while the public address announcer was still announcing the Max Pacioretty goal. Seventeen seconds after Montreal got what they needed, it was tied.
Luck. You have read me before say I believe you create your own breaks and luck is the residue of design. That was the case Monday. Pacioretty's goal came about due to good hard work by him in front, but also Mats Zuccarello got caught with the puck in his skates. In addition, instead of trying to cover the puck in the slot, Lundqvist attempted to poke the puck out of the area toward the right side. The puck instead hit off of Pacioretty, caromed up and then into the net. Luck, somewhat, but it occurred because of hard work culminating a 47-second shift in the offensive zone by Montreal's top line. The Rangers failed to clear the zone twice before Lundqivst's failed poke check. McDonagh's goal, while off a fortunate bounce, came about because of a good forecheck creating the soft clear. In addition, Zucc went to the net, taking Gorges with him, leading to the deflection. Luck, yes, but good work created the opportunity.
Late goals. Much of the time we focus on early goals, but for the second straight game, a late goal was key. Saturday, Kreider scored with 1:01 remaining Brad Richards with :12 left in the second period to make a 2-1 game into a 4-1 one. Monday, Nash's goal came with 62 seconds left in the first and was the game-winner. The one part of the game that New York dominated was just before that goal, as they had five of the final six shots on goal of the period over a 6:18 span.
The power play. I highlighted this in my preview, as Montreal looked to have the edge here. So far, that has proved not to be the case. New York stopped all four of Montreal's man-advantages and are 7-for-7 so far this series. New York's PP had another key goal yesterday, this one following a beautiful passing play from McDonagh to Derek Stepan to Martin St. Louis for the one-timer, top-shelf, right corner from the slot. Since missing on 36 straight chances, NY is 7-for-21 on the PP.
- The fourth line. With Dominic Moore moving up to replace the injured Derick Brassard, Dan Carcillo was inserted back in the lineup. Despite the switch, the fourth line lost none of their effectiveness. Derek Dorsett was solid again, Carcillo stepped in nicely while Brian Boyle was his usual solid self. As others mentioned, that line just cycles, hits and blocks shots.
Stepan. The good and the bad. Two assists, one beautiful one on the PP, yet he leaves you wanting more. He came in on a 2-on-1 and teams expect him to pass, not shoot, which caused the missed opportunity. You wish at times he was more aggressive and aware of what's going on around him, but that said, hard to complain too much.
Benoit Pouliot. If John Tortorella coached this team, Pouliot would have been banished to the ECHL. Another stupid penalty, this one a trip on Subban in the second. In the third, with 4:22 left, he took a stupid and dangerous boarding penalty on Alexei Emelin. Fortunately, Emelin turned slightly, or it could have been much worse. There was no reason for the hit, it was dangerous, borderline suspendable and he needs to be a lot smarter.
Stralman, Moore and Klein. The focus has rightly been on the big three, McDonagh, Girardi and Staal, but the "other" three have been good as well. Little is said about them, which is probably a good thing, as they would only be noticed if something went wrong. The "other" three have been solid, bolstering the Rangers' blue line throughout the playoffs.
The referees. In a difficult situation, knowing how Montreal had reacted to the Kreider/Price collision, not a bad job. However, the trip by Alex Galchenyuk on Carl Hagelin was a lousy call while Pouliot's first penalty was a bit touchy-feely A slewfoot by Mike Weaver was missed but overall, a decent job, which has been hard to say these playoffs.
The schedule. Before the playoffs started, getting two days off between Games 2 and 3 looked great, same between 3 and 4. Now, personally, I hate seeing the momentum New York has built even slightly blunted by the extra day off. The Rangers have won five straight playoff games for the first time since 1994, so to me, staying on the regular schedule would be nice. Rest never a bad thing, especially if the extra day allows Brassard to return from his back injury, but I would almost rather the regular schedule to keep the momentum they have built up going. They are playing with supreme confidence, part of that stems from AV's coaching style while a lot of it is due to the leaders in the room, including Richards and St. Louis. Nothing has fazed them recently, even with everything going on around them, which hopefully bodes well as we move along.
I would love to say they are a team of destiny, as they have gotten some breaks recently but also look to have all the critical components in place, but there is still a lot of work to do. Come back to MSG, really put a strangle-hold on the series Thursday and then win it on Sunday. You won't see me saying it's done, until that fourth win is hopefully secured, but it's hard not to like how they are playing.
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