At 8pm tonight, a portion of the rhetoric surrounding the Carey Price-Chris Kreider "incident" will cease to be the main focus, as it will shift to the play on ice. Of course, that's pure fallacy because every shot on Dustin Tokarski will be viewed in the prism on if Price would have made the save. Same for every shift that Kreider takes, given the expected fan and possibly Montreal players' reaction to him on the ice. At least, the conversation will shift to the product on the ice rather words such as intent and recklessness or lack thereof in each case, as New York attempts to take a 2-0 series lead.
Coach Michel Therrien could have taken the easy route, starting Peter Budaj. He could have used excuses such as going with the veteran, the one who has been the back-up goalie, but instead he went bold, opting for potential in Tokarski. Maybe Budaj could do the job, and it's possible we fight it, but maybe the three goals he gave up in the third period were enough to sway Therrien's decision.
Andrew Gross wrote the following, which gives a pretty good indication that Tokarski has pedigree in his favor: "Although Tokarski has never started an NHL playoff game, in 20 AHL playoff games he has a 1.67 GAA, a .937 save percentage and won a Calder Cup with Norfolk (Tampa Bay’s affiliate) in 2012. Tokarski also backstopped Spokane to the 2008 Memorial Cup (Canada’s major junior championship) and was named the tournament’s most valuable player by going 4-0 with a 1.71 GAA." Granted, that was in the minors and in the WJC, plus in 10 career regular season NHL appearances with Tampa Bay and Montreal, Tokarski is 3-3-1 with a 2.93 GAA, a .902 save percentage and one shutout. This season, he went 2-0-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .946 save percentage in three NHL appearances, notching his first NHL shutout with a 29-save performance in a 2-0 victory in Buffalo on March 16. Potential and pedigree over the known, plus it might be easier to go to Budaj if need be rather than vice versa. We will soon find out how it turns out, but boy I hope it's not 1979 again with Ken Dryden replacing an injured Bunny Larocque. Though Price isn't Laroque, today's Canadiens team, while good, doesn't resemble the star power of that one and it remains to be seen if Tokarski has a Dryden-esque performance in him.
In addition, it's possible Montreal gets Alex Galchenyuk, who has been out since April 9 with a knee injury, back tonight. If he does play, that gives the Canadiens another dangerous weapon up front. The question is who sits? Therrien had originally said that Prust likely will sit, but given that Price is out, that may depend on the type of message and style of play he wants to have tonight. (Update: Galchenyuk in, Bournival out)
For New York, the change - while not as material as the one that Montreal made, but still fairly important - is the likely absence of Derick Brassard. While he has officially been ruled out and skated a bit in practice, Brassard did not see action with his line during the practice, ceding that spot to Dominic Moore, who replaced him in Game 1 after he was injured on Mike Weaver's open ice check. It looks as if Dan Carcillo will take Moore's spot on the fourth line with Brian Boyle moving back to center. If there is even a smidge of a concern about Brassard's back, the wise course of action is to sit. Up 1-0 with three more days to rest before Game 3, giving Brassard that extra time off makes sense, despite the possible impact to his linemates, Mats Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot, as well as on the power play.
With Price out, the pressure moves from Canadiens to the Rangers. Even down 1-0, if Price was playing with Montreal at home, the pressure likely would stay with the higher. Now with Price out, the third-string goalie in net and up 1-0, the pressure shifts to New York. The prevailing view is that they should win the series. Forget the 0-13 mark when trying to take a two-game lead in a series. Throw out the 0-8 mark in Game 2, tonight is a game they should win. Teams with championship aspirations win games like this, especially when one of Montreal's best players, and the one who levels the playing field against Henrik Lundqvist, is out. The Rangers are saying all the right things. How it doesn't matter who is between the pipes, as any goalie can step up and have a big effort. How to look at Anaheim rallying when John Gibson, the third string, was put between the pipes. How all the furor and hubbub surrounding the Kreider controversy doesn't faze them. All of that sounds wonderful and is the right tact to take; now prove it. Go out and win a game most believe they should. As we have seen these playoffs and remember from 1996 against Montreal, going up 2-0 in a series doesn't guarantee anything. That said, win tonight, then really take the series by the throat by going home and win Game 3. Then win a fourth game, because if not, and they somehow lose the series, the words they used today and the yesterday are hollow at best.
Line Combinations and Analysis:
Rangers:
Forwards: 20 Chris Kreider - 21 Derek Stepan - 61 Rick Nash 67 Benoit Pouliot - 28 Dominic Moore - 36 Mats Zuccarello 62 Carl Hagelin - 19 Brad Richards - 26 Martin St. Louis 13 Daniel Carcillo - 22 Brian Boyle - 15 Derek Dorsett
Extras: Derick Brassard (upper-body injury suffered in Game 1, possible to play in Game 3), Jesper Fast (played first two games against Philly and has been on pine since then), and JT Miller (played games 3-4 versus Philly, depending on how series goes, play of Carcillo or Dorsett, he could see action).
Defense 27 Ryan McDonagh - 5 Dan Girardi 18 Marc Staal - 6 Anton Stralman 17 John Moore - 8 Kevin Klein
Extras: Raphael Diaz (a heck of a lot better than having to dress Roman Hamrlik) and Justin Falk.
Goaltending 30 Henrik Lundqvist 33 Cam Talbot
Canadiens
Forwards Max Pacioretty-David Desharnais-Brendan Gallagher Alex Galchenyuk-Tomas Plekanec-Thomas Vanek Rene Bourque-Lars Eller-Brian Gionta Brandon Prust-Daniel Briere-Dale Weise
Scratches - Michael Bournival (played Game 1, replaced for Game 2 by Galchenyuk, who was out with a knee injury from April 9) and Travis Moen
Defense Josh Gorges-PK Subban Andrei Markov-Alexei Emelin Nathan Beaulieu-Mike Weaver
Scratches - Francis Bouillon and Douglas Murray (healthy)
Goaltenders Duston Tokarski Peter Budaj
Scratches - Carey Price (right knee, out for remainder of the series)
Rangers (Metro Division) vs. Canadiens (Atlantic Division) - Eastern Conference Finals Game 1: Rangers 7 Canadiens 2, Sat., May 17 Game 2: Rangers at Canadiens, Mon., May 19 at 8PM (NBC, CBC) Game 3: Canadiens at Rangers, Thu., May 23 at TBD (NBC, CBC) Game 4: Canadiens at Rangers, Sat., May 24 at TBD (NBC, CBC) Game 5*: Rangers at Canadiens TBD* Game 6*: Canadiens at Rangers, TBD* Game 7*: Rangers at Canadiens, TBD*
A win tonight and New York has a commanding 2-0 series lead. A loss and the series has a whole new tone. Find a way to get it done and come back to MSG up two games to none.
Let’s Go Rangers!!! The Drive to the Stanley Cup continues tonight in Montreal.