The Rangers, off their thrilling 2-1 win Wednesday, look to send the series back to NY while the Kings have their second attempt at clinching Lord Stanley's Cup. We can talk about momentum, but arguments can be made on either side of the equation, and to date, it's shifted period to period and game to game. For the Rangers, it's win or go home, literally and figuratively, while for Los Angeles, the goal is to clinch it tonight and avoid need another cross-country flight.
Two quick things. First, I did not steal or paraphrase the title from the NY Post headline. As mentioned in my blog comments yesterday, I have been playing around with blog titles since Game 4 ended and had that one queued up. When/if the Rangers win, it likely will be: NY State of Mind, Rangers Bring Series Back to MSG. Second, there is no truth to the rumor that the Rangers and Kings got in a bidding war with Disney. The price to rent Anna from Frozen to use her snow-making skills to put in the crease for the final three games of the series was viwed as too cost-prohibitive.
A few keys for me tonight:
Start and Finish. New York did a great job with their starts in LA, end stop. The problem was after that. In Game 1, they played 26 solid minutes. In Game 2, slightly over 40. The problem is that the game is at least 60 minutes long. The arena will be jacked tonight knowing that the Cup is in the building and a win means that their team gets to parade around the ice with the silver chalice. A strong start, especially a goal by the Kings, will made the Rangers' job that much harder. Even if the Rangers get a lead, the key will then be to hold it. Playing like they did down the stretch of Game 3, will not be acceptable, let alone what occurred in Games 1 and 2. The challenge to put together a full game is daunting, but will be needed to send the series back to New York.
Roll four forward and three defensive lines. In Game 3, AV changed up the lines, in doing so, he altered the usage patterns. Derek Dorsett played just 7:27 in the game, as AV started to roll with just three forward lines. In addition the third d-pairing, Kevin Klein and John Moore played 10:53 and 10:31, respectively, and that's with Moore getting some power play time. To have success against LA, and what has been a major factor in the team reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, was Vigneault's willingness and the team's ability to play 18 skaters consistently. The problem is that Richards is not a typical fourth line center, as he lacks the strength or speed to be effective there. Almost a-third of his time - 3:58 came on the PP - which also skewed the line combinations and usage. No changes are expected for Game 5, but AV needs to do a better job of balancing out the ice time, of course, that will depend on what the score is in the third period.
Rick Nash. Snakebit. No luck, except for bad luck. It just seems that way with Nash, who had a strong game but failed to score for the fifth straight contest. Even an empty net proved difficult, as his shot late in the game from the neutral zone drifted wide. However, despite all of his scoring issues, I think if he plays like he did Wednesday, he will score. Nash was physical, seen on his hits on Jake Muzzin and Marian Gaborik. In addition, he has the confidence of AV, who used him for 1:29 of the final 1:54 to protect a one-goal lead, though you could argue given how much pressure LA exerted on New York whether or not that was a wise move. But I believe he will break out tonight, and if that happens, he will get on a roll, albeit just a three-game one, which could get us the result we all hope for with our team.
Physical play. The Kings upped their already strong physical play Wednesday against the Rangers, especially against the smaller members of the Blueshirts. It looked like they targeted Mats Zuccarello and Martin St. Louis in the Rangers victory. You have to wonder if that punishment will take a toll given the long playoffs and New York has the disadvantage of there not being an extra day of rest. If the Rangers win tonight and force a Game 6, they benefit from having an extra day of rest after Game 5 to recharge their batteries. I look for Zucc to eventually score on one of his wraparounds top shelf on Jonathan Quick.
Henrik Lundqvist. No duh, right. The Rangers best player has to be theirs and likely the game's best tonight. If he is, then New York has a good chance of sending the series back to MSG for Game 6. If he isn't, then it's a good bet the Rangers' season ends tonight. Based on how he performed Monday and his desire to be great and win a Cup, I would expect another elite performance tonight.
(Note: Due to the Sabbath and then a family commitment tomorrow night, I will not get a blog up, win or lose, until Sunday. If they lose, it will be brief and we will start the post-mortem and look forward in the next few weeks. If they win, a broader recap will be posted and then Game 6 preview will be up on Monday).
Let's Go Rangers!!! Show the heart and effort that was evident Wednesday and complete the second phase of the Shock the World Comeback Tour to bring the series back to MSG.