Game 1; We’re shipping up to Boston! 2nd round opens in Boston!
New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins, Game 1 of the EC Semifinals
After a tremendous 5-0 win in the Game 7 against the Washington Capitals, the Rangers are back in business tonight when they open up their 2nd round series against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. This is the first time since 1973 when the Rangers and the Bruins meet in the post-season. After couple of days off, the both teams are ready to start the series. Lundqvist vs. Rask, Nash and Callahan vs. Seguin and Marchand, you name it. This series will feature hard hitting, excellent goaltending and probably a low scoring games. Are you ready New York?
BOS:
The Bruins were 0:50 seconds away from loss in the Game 7 against the Maple Leafs on Monday night. They didn’t lost that game. Patrice Bergeron tied the game and eventually got the game winning goal in the overtime. The Bruins are a tough team. The guys like Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic will drive you crazy – if you let them. Zdeno Chara is backbone of their defence but they’re battling with some serious injuries in the defence. Andrew Ference is out with Dennis Seidenberg. Douggie Hamilton and Matt Bartkowski are young defence mans and now they will have a chance to show what they can do in the playoffs.
NYR:
Henrik Lundqvist got back to back shutouts in the Game 6 and the 7 against the Caps. If you need to describe his performance in this series; Incredible! And like in the last minute, the Rangers found their offense and they got it from every line. Especially in the Game 7, the line-up looked very balanced and solid. Derick Brassard got 9 points in the 7 games against the Caps and he leads the Rangers in the points. As weird as it sounds, Arron Asham scored more goals than Brad Richards and Rick Nash combined in the series. But as long as your teams scorers – it doesn’t matter who scores!
Checking-line; Pyatt-Boyle-Dorsett is working very well and even the 4th line with Kreider-Richards-Asham is creating scoring chances (and is scoring goals!). The Rangers need to stay patient, play discipline and use their scoring chances well.
Key players and stats:
Henrik Lundqvist is 21-7-2 with 1.67 GAA and .943 save% in his career against the Bruins. Truth is that the Rangers need to get Nash, Callahan and Richards going in this series. They have received a huge offensive boost from Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello but they need strong effort from everybody else. Taylor Pyatt and Arron Asham really made a difference in the series against the Caps and if they can continue doing that, the Rangers will be fine. For the Bruins, you always wanna talk about Zdeno Chara. Slovakian giant played over 29 minutes in the Game 7 against the Maple Leafs and with injuries to Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference, he needs to do that every night. Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand will do the dirty work but they’re also scoring goals. Tuukka Rask is very good young Finnish goaltender and he will give the Bruins a chance to win every game.
Let’s GO RANGERS!
#BELIEVE
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Eastern Conference 2nd Round Preview
1 Pittsburgh vs 6 Ottawa – PIT won season series 3-0
PIT: Pittsburgh got past the NY Islanders in the first round in 6 games. I don’t think the Penguins would like to talk about the series much more than that. They didn’t look good at all at times, and were forced to make a goaltending change after Marc Andre Fleury looked absolutely terrible in game after game. Tomas Vokoun will get the start (at least in game 1) and it will be interesting to see how he holds up as the series goes along.
OTT: Everyone is rooting for Ottawa. Okay, ‘everyone’ may be a bit of a stretch, but let’s face it. If you’re not a Penguins fan, you are rooting for Ottawa. The Senators didn’t look like a 7 seed while making quick work of the Canadiens in round one, and pose a very dangerous threat to the Penguins. As teams are starting to learn, Craig Anderson is more than capable of stealing multiple games in a series and if he can do that to the Penguins, Ottawa has the firepower to take out Pittsburgh.
X factors:
PIT- This one is easy, Tomas Vokoun. Fleury was awful in 4 games in round one before being lifted for Vokoun. It looks like he will not return to the postseason this year. That means the pressure is squarely on Vokoun. Can he come through? If not, does Bylsma go back to Fleury? Vokoun needs to be much better than Fleury was to give the Penguins a good chance in a series that looks like it will be very low scoring.
OTT- Chris Neil. Why? Well you saw last year how Philly beat Pittsburgh, and what the Islanders did for bits and pieces against Pittsburgh when they played well. You have to muck it up against the Penguins. Make it ugly, make it physical, make it chippy and make there a lot of penalties. You have to get them off their end to end speed and skill game. If that means throwing a questionable hit here and there, you have to do it against the Penguins. The Flyers did that last year, and that’s why they won. The Islanders did that for 2 games, and they’re at home. Chris Neil is the guy on Ottawa who will look to do that, and he can change the series on his own.
PIT will win if… this becomes a high scoring series. While Ottawa can score some goals, they won’t be able to consistently match Pittsburgh in 4-3 or 5-4 games.
OTT will win if… Like I said before, you need to muck it up to beat the Penguins. That, and Craig Anderson will need to play the way he played in the first round, the regular season, and last years playoffs against the Rangers. If he can keep PIT to 1-2 goals a few times, Ottawa should win this series.
Match-up to watch: Kris Letang vs Eric Karlsson: Two of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL, it will be interesting to see how they do when going up against one another.
Prediction: Ottawa does a lot of the things you need to beat Pittsburgh. Solid goaltending, great penalty kill (#1 in the league) and a solid defense. I just think after getting past the first round, the Penguins will be able to calm down mentally a bit. I would LOVE to see this become another series like when the Penguins played the Flyers and see the Penguins go home, but I think the skill of the Penguins will be too much for the young Sens in the end. Penguins in 6. PIT 4-2.
4 Boston vs 6 NY Rangers- Rangers won season series 2-1
BOS: After backing into the playoffs, Boston got a very favorable matchup against the Maple Leafs in round 1. After going up 3-1, the Bruins lost 2 straight to force a game 7. Then, it needed a 3 goal comeback in the last 10 minutes of the 3rd to even force overtime where Patrice Bergeron put home a rebound to help the Bruins advance. That doesn’t change the fact that the Bruins have not been playing well whatsoever. For what it’s worth, the Bruins haven’t won a season series with the Rangers since 2007-08, and these teams haven’t met in the postseason since 1973. If the Bruins don’t start playing better and fast, this could be a short series.
NYR: The Rangers advance to the second round after finally winning their first road game 7 in the 87 years of the franchise by defeating Washington 5-0. A series that saw the Rangers go down 2-0 and 3-2, they came back to shutout the Caps in games 6 and 7, something that hasn’t been done in the playoffs since 2002. While Rick Nash was held goalless in the series, he’s always a threat to break out at anytime, and Henrik Lundqvist is at the top of his game right now. These teams play a very similar physical, grind it out style that should see this series have a lot of low scoring games.
X-Factors:
BOS: Zdeno Chara. With Andrew Ference injured and Dennis Seidenberg hurt during the first round, Chara played over 35 minutes in game 7. If those two are unavailable for any amount of time during this series, Chara will be counted on to play a huge amount of time. The safe bet is that he will be out there to match up against Rick Nash, and will need to do a good job of shutting him down for the Bruins to have a good chance.
NYR: McDonagh & Girardi. Arguably the best shut-down pair in the NHL, they held Ovechkin to just one goal and one assist in the first round, and 0 points in games 3-7. It’s interesting to see who they will be matched up against. The Bergeron-Seguin-Marchand line was known as the Bruins top line, but Lucic-Krejci-Horton played the best offensively in round one. It will be interesting to see where Mac and G get put, and even more so if Marc Staal were to come back during the series.
BOS will win if… They need to find a way to score. Washington managed just 8 goals in the final 6 games of the series with the Rangers, 2 of which came in overtime. The Bruins will need to find a way to beat Lundqvist more than once or twice a game consistently, not an easy task.
NYR will win if… One of their star offensive players breaks out. Nash, Richards and Callahan all had miserable series points-wise, and will need to do better against Boston to give the Rangers a good chance in this series. While Tuukka Rask is good, he’s no Lundqvist, so the Rangers should be able to muster up the offense here.
Matchup to watch: David Krejci vs Derick Brassard: 2 of the top point scorers from the first round, it will be interesting to see how they do in the second round, as they will likely be on the ice against each other a lot of the time
Prediction: Both of these teams powerplays are terrible, and both penalty kills are great. So don’t expect the extra man to mean a whole lot in what is expected to be a very physical and low scoring series. Boston looked great in games 1-4, terrible in 5-7. And that was against Toronto, a team they usually beat with ease. Now they have the Rangers who are starting to get hot, have the best goalie on the planet and usually do very well against Boston. Just because of the number of one goal games these teams play against one another, this should be a long series, but the Rangers should prevail. Rangers in 7. NYR in 7.
You can follow me on twitter @malber9
Matt
Rangers destroy Capitals 5-0 in Game 7
It’s been a long time coming. 87 years and the Rangers have finally won their first ever game 7 on the road. A convincing 5-0 win over the Washington Capitals also ends the “curse of the Verizon Center.” After dropping first round series to Washington in 7 games in 2009 and 5 games in 2011, the Rangers have now knocked out the Capitals in two straight seasons and both in 7 games. With the 5-0 win, Henrik Lundqvist ends the series with back to back shutouts after a tough game 5 overtime loss.
Raise your hand if you said before the game that the blueshirts would put up 5 on Washington, and that Asham, Pyatt and Zuccarello would score. Now put your hand down, liar. After blocking an odd man rush from Washington Kreider found Asham on a 4 on 2 break the other way, who put a seeing eye slapshot by Holtby to put the Rangers on the board with 7 minutes left in the first.
With that goal. Asham has more goals than Richards, Nash, Callahan or Alex Ovechkin in the series. With Lundqvist stopping all 13 Washington shots, the Rangers held a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Another role player got on the scoresheet quickly into the second period, as Taylor Pyatt put a rebound into a vacant net behind Holtby to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead just 3 minutes into the 2nd.
That goal seemed to take a lot of the wind out of the Washington sails, and when a Del Zotto point shot deflected off Troy Brouwer’s skate and behind Holtby just a few minutes later, a 3-0 lead seemed insurmountable for the Capitals.
A Ryan Callahan nifty backhand goal just 13 seconds into the third period seemed to end any hopes Washington had of making an incredible comeback.
Finally, a nice move by Zuccarello in alone past Holtby put the icing on the cake of a NYR series win.
All that was left to wonder is if Lundqvist would shutout the Caps for a second consecutive day, and he would. Stopping all 35 shots on Monday, Lundqvist became the first goalie to post shutouts in game 6 and 7 in the same series since Dominic Hasek in 2002.
Key Stats:
Henrik Lundqvust: 35 saves on 35 shots, 2nd consecutive shutout of series
Derick Brassard & Steve Eminger: 2 assists each
Asham, Pyatt, Del Zotto, Callahan & Zuccarello: 1 goal each
Derek Dorsett, Rick Nash & Chris Kreider: 1 assist each
Dan Girardi & Chris Kreider: team-high 7 hits each
Braden Holtby: 19 saves on 24 shots
After the rout over Washington, the Rangers will advance to the conference semifinals for the second consecutive year where they will face the Boston Bruins. This will be the first playoff meeting between the original six rivals since 1973. Boston had a very interesting night in their own game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.. more on that later.
Don’t forget to follow me on twitter @malber9
LGR,
Matt
Whale Officially Changed Back to the Pack
Many have known for the past few weeks that Global Spectrum, the new company running the Rangers’ AHL team, the Connecticut Whale was planning to change the team name back to the Hartford Wolfpack. Tuesday in a joint press conference with Madison Square Garden and Global, it was made official that the team would in fact go back to the Pack.
For those of you that aren’t filmier with the Wolfpack’s history, three years ago Howard Baldwin — former owner of the NHL’s Hartford Whalers — bought the rights from MSG/the Rangers to run the business operations of the then Hartford Wolfpack. Once in control of all non-hockey operations of the Wolfpack, Baldwin changed the name — which the team had been called since moving to Hartford in 1997 — changed the name to the Connecticut Whale, in an attempt to bring back the die-hard Whalers fans. After being sued by nearly every company he came in contact with, including the Whale’s equipment supplier, Reebok, and being in debt by the millions, MSG took back control of the team and handed it over to AEG, whom had been running the XL Center, home of the Whale.
This summer AEG’s contract to manage both the XL Center and Whale expires, and the City of Hartford gave a contract for the next three years to Global Spectrum — manager of the Philadelphia Flyers and many other pro sports teams.
Many current Ranger stars, such as Ryan Callahan (Pictured), Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Carl Hagelin have developed their skills while playing for the Wolfpack.
For all the latest on the Whale/Wolfpack be sure to follow me on Twitter @MattMarychuk.
Game 7; Great moments are born from great opportunities, And that’s what you have here tonight, boys! #NYRBELIVE
New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals, Game 7 of the EC Quarterfinals
The Rangers and the Capitals will close-up their series tonight with the Game 7 at the Verizon Center. The both teams are familiar with the Game 7′s. The Rangers won two last year including one against the Caps while the Caps won one against the Bruins last year. The Rangers are 5-5 and the Caps 3-8 in the Game 7′s all time. But the truth is that you can forget the stats, every Game 7 is different. You need to play it like it’s your last game, take one shift at the time and somehow number of players will step up their game and lead the way. Game 7 – Hockey Heaven.
WSH:
This Capitals team is getting tired. They are taking stupid penalties, lose face-offs more often and they don’t generate that many scoring changes. That’s a spot the Rangers need to strike on. Play physical game and keep you skates going! Without a doubt, Braden Holtby played his best game of the series yesterday and he’s the most important Caps player on the ice. If the Caps get power plays, they are tough team to beat. Little mistakes can cost so much tonight and they all know that.
NYR:
Henrik Lundqvist saved all 27 shots last night and he got his 7th career post season shutout. But most of all he gave the Rangers a chance to win the series in the seven games. Again the Rangers were 0-for-5 on the power play and from time to time they were outplayed by the Capitals but they had chances. And this time they got the job done. Derick Brassard’s goals was eventually the game winner and the Rangers forced this series back to DC for one last showdown.
They did it last year so why they can’t do it this year? Will Nash show up tonight? What about the 4th line with Richards and Kreider? Can Hank steal another one in-a-row? So many questions to ask and think. One pass, one shift, one hit and one period at the time. Boys, you know how to do it!
Key players and stats:
In these types of games you wanna big effort from your big guys. Obviously, the Rangers can rely on Henrik Lundqvist. Without him… we wouldn’t be here. Rick Nash said he loves being under pressure and he usually plays very well then. Well it haven’t been quite that way but oh boy he has change to turn things up tonight. Derick Brassard is currently the Rangers best forward and you can see it from the scoreboard. 2+5 in the 6 games and he’s not slowind down. For the Caps, they pray that Alex Ovetchkin will end his scoring slump tonight. With Girardi and McD always on the ice with him, that seems to be a tough one for him. Braden Holtby played very well in the Game 6 and he will give his team a chance to win tonight.
I don’t care about the other stats but this one is promising: “John Tortorella is 4-1 in the Game 7′s in his career.
Let’s GO RANGERS!
#BELIEVE
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 6; Make it or break it night for the Rangers at the Garden!
Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers, Game 6 of the EC Quarterfinals
The Rangers are in the brink of the elimination tonight when they host the Caps at the MSG. Win tonight and they will force the series to Game 7, lose tonight you’re out of the game. The Rangers have won eight straight at the Garden and they will do anything to get the ninth win in-a-row. They are missing Marc Staal, Darrol Powe and Ryane Clowe, who was injured in the Game 5. Tonight it’s not about who controls the game, who’s got more shots or hits – it’s all about the win.
WSH:
Adam Oates stressed that they need a good start against the Rangers in the Game 5. They didn’t get that but eventually they rallied to 2-1 OT win. They didn’t get offense from Alex Ovetchkin but their secondary scoring got the job done. Tonight they have a chance to wrap up the series but rather than that – they’re not facing the elimination. Even if they don’t win tonight, they have a chance to do it on their home ice where they are so far unbeatable. For the record, the Caps lead the last years 1st round series against the Bruins 3-2 and lost the Game 6. Just saying…
NYR:
Brian Boyle always seems to elaborate his game at the right time. Two big goals at the playoffs and overall he’s been one of the best Rangers skaters. On Friday night, Boyle gave the Rangers 1-0 lead just 53 seconds into the first period. The first period belonged to the Rangers but the Caps took the driver’s seat in the second. After Boyle’s unnecessary penalty, the Caps tied the game with Joel Ward’s PPG. Just like the Game 2 this one was going to be decided in the overtime. And for the Rangers, it ended the same way. After a couple of good chances, Mike Ribeiro got the game winner and gave the Caps 3-2 series lead.
The Rangers need to play better, that’s a simple thing. They still have a chance to force this series to the Game 7 and believe me, Nobody wants to face us in the Game 7! The Garden will be rocking and they will give their support to the Rangers.
Key players and stats:
As said, you don’t care who scores the goal as long as someone does that! The Rangers could really use that guy named “Rick Nash along with his buddy Brad Richards”. For the record, Richards have played very well when his team is facing the elimination. The Rangers need every player to step up but especially they need Ryan Callahan’s effort. He’s checking hard, trying to heat up Holtby and Caps defence but all in all, he needs to start to put up some points. For the Caps, they rely on their big names. The Rangers have shut down Ovetchkin but they will get offense from guys like Ribeiro and Bäckström. For Braden Holtby, the MSG haven’t been great place – let’s hope for another “easy” game for him!
#BELIEVE
Let’s GO RANGERS!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 5; Time for the road win! Rangers challenge the Caps in DC! #NYRBELIEVE
New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals, Game 5 of the EC Quarterfinals
After two great wins at the MSG, the Rangers are back on the road tonight when they face the Caps in the pivotal Game 5 at Verizon Center. Tonight’s game is huge for both teams. If the Rangers can win tonight, they have a chance to close-up the series on Sunday in New York. If the Caps win, they have opportunity to do the same thing. One thing is sure – neither teams wants to lose tonight! The Rangers have shut down Alex Ovetchkin and if they can continue doing that tonight, good things will happen. The Caps and the Rangers, Game 5!
WSH:
The Capitals are missing Martin Erat in the Game 5, who left the previous game due to upper-body injury. They called up Tom Wilson and Joey Crabb from the AHL and it seems that Wilson will take over Erat’s spot in the line-up. The Caps really don’t have to panic yet but they have a lot of things to fix. Holtby has given up 8 in the last two games, a couple of really bad defensive collapses and no offense from their top-line. Adam Oates priority task is to get Ovetchkin away from McDonagh and Girardi, now when he has the last change.
NYR:
The Rangers did exactly what they had to. They won the both games at the Garden, played better offensively, scored goals and showed Holtby there’s no easy game for any goalies in the NHL playoffs. They also played very discipline and got the job done on their own power play. Special credit to Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi who shut down Ovetchkin perfectly.
Rick Nash is still without goals but he’s confident that if he continues working the goals will come. He’s playing well but the Rangers could really use a few goals from him tonight. Again, they need a brilliant game from Lundqvist to steal this one. Marc Staal didn’t play in the Game 4 and won’t play in the Game 5 tonight.
The Rangers just need continue playing like they did at the Garden. Get the pucks to the net, play physical game but stay out of the box. The goals will come if you stay patient, defense first then the offense.
Key players and stats:
You don’t have to have size to be a good hockey player. Derick Brassard, Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello are the Rangers top-3 point scorers. Brassard and Zuccarello are world class play makers and Hagelin makes impossible things possible with his speed. When talking about the key players, you can’t pass Derek Stepan. We knew he can shoot and pass the puck but that play with Hagelin and Callahan, oh boy that’s a world class play! For the Caps, they need to get offense from guys like Ribeiro and Bäckström. After allowing just one goal in the first two games, Brayden Holtby was beaten 8 times at the Garden. All of a sudden, the Rangers have as many PP goals as the Capitals have. With that fact, stay out of the box if you wanna win!
#BELIEVE.
Let’s GO RANGERS!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 4; Do you Believe? Rangers trying to even the series at the Garden!
Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers, Game 4 of the EC Quarterfinals
The Rangers are back in action tonight when they host the Washington Capitals in the Game 4 of the series at the Garden. After two losses in DC, the Rangers rallied to 4-3 in the Game 3. They finally found their offense and Henrik Lundqvist guaranteed the win with some big saves. Now they are facing another challenge. Going to DC trailing 3-1 in the series doesn’t sound very good. Win tonight and the series is tied and then it’s best of 3 series. Another playoff night at the Garden !
WSH:
The Rangers finally were able to beat Braden Holtby – actually four times. After allowing just 1 goal in the first two games, Monday wasn’t Holtby’s best. The Caps took 6 penalties and eventually the Rangers made them pay – once. They had three power play chances but they could’t score with man advantage. Two out of three Capitals goals were deflected into the net and the third one was high rising shot by Mike Green who now has 2 goals in the series. The Rangers kept Alex Ovetchkin out of the scoreboard (offset he spent 4 minutes in the box) and also slowed down Mike Ribeiro who had a marvelous chance in the 2nd period but was denied by Lundqvist.
NYR:
Brian Boyle and Arron Asham both scored in the playoff game. Yeah, you read it right. In addition to that, they also got goals from Derick Brassard (PP Goal!) and Derek Stepan. The Caps started the game well and just after 4 minutes, Nicklas Bäckström deflected one past Lundqvist to make it 1-0. After that the Rangers finally got their offense going. Boyle beat Holtby on the short side, Brassard got one on the power play, Asham scored after perfect pass by Brassard and Stepan’s GWG was absolute thing of beauty.
Marc Staal returned to the line-up after missing 29 consecutive games due eye injury. He played almost 18 minutes and overall he played a good game. Of course he looked a little bit slow, his timing wasn’t perfect but after a long break that’s understandable. On the other side, the Rangers also received some bad news. Darrol Powe (who suffered a concussion earlier this season) was injured and left the game after being hit by Joel Ward’s elbow. Ryan Clowe skated again this morning and remains to be seen if he plays in the Game 4 with Powe out in the line-up.
Key players and stats:
Believe it or not but Aaron Asham has more playoff goals this year than Ryan Callahan, Rick Nash and Brad Richards combined. As long as the teams wins, nobody cares who scores the goals. (You gotta admit that Asham’s goal celebration was just awesome!) The Rangers only took 3 minor penalties and they didn’t surrended any power play goals. The thing that impresses me most is that this a comeback win. The Caps early lead could have been beginning of the end for the Rangers. But they fought back and rallied to vital win. With 4 goals scored for Holtby and one power play goal, hopefully the Rangers found their confidence. Monday’s win means nothing if we can’t get the same result tonight.
Anyway, I believe.
Let’s GO RANGERS!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 3; Series heading to NYC, Rangers face the “must-win” !
Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers, Game 3 of the EC Quarterfinals
68 minutes of tough playoff hockey, some serious mistakes by the referees, wasted opportunities and just one goal. The Caps grabbed the win and now they had 2-0 lead in the series. As the series is now heading to New York, the Rangers need to find a way to score – no matter if it’s 5-on-5 or on the power play! Sellout Madison Square Garden will be rocking and will give all the support to the Rangers that’s for sure. Last time I checked you need to win 4 games to qualify to next round, the Caps have two – the Rangers have cero.
WSH:
The Caps stayed patient and they got the job done – with their power play. They have got offense from their two biggest stars; Ovetchkin and Green. For the Caps, everything is looking pretty good. Their special teams have been terrific, Holtby is playing very well and the most important thing – they’re leading the series 2-0. They wanna continue do the same things tonight at the Garden. One thing the Caps especially wanna do is keep playing physical game.
NYR:
The Rangers played a good game on Saturday but again their offense let them down. 1 goal in 7 periods just isn’t enough. Nash and Stralman hitted the posts but that doesn’t the change the result. The refs missed a few penalties but that doesn’t change the result. Only thing that matters is the score and unfortunately, you can’t win with cero goals.
Despite the two losses, this series is far away from being over. Again, the Rangers didn’t suck in the last game. This is a tight series and in order to win they need to fix a few things and be patient. They haven’t had much luck in the recent games and this is my personal opinion, they won’t get sweeped.
What they need to do better? They need a much stronger effort from Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Brad Richards. They need more players in front of the net and overall get more rebounds and second changes. Henrik Lundqvist won’t let them down but he can’t score the goals.
Key players and stats:
The Rangers are 0-for-7 on the power play and they have scored only one goal in 128 minutes of playing time. That’s just not enough to win the games. The Caps are 2-for-8 on the power play. Alex Ovetchkin has points in the both games. Brayden Holtby played a solid game and he was the Caps best player of the night. Old saying goes that in the playoffs – you’re in trouble when you lose on your home ice. Two wins at the MSG and the Rangers are back in this series. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it’s possible!
Let’s GO RANGERS!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
Game 2; Rangers trying to even the series, Clowe/Boyle returning to the line-up?
Rob Carr/Getty
New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals, Game 2 of the EC Quarterfinals
The Rangers are back in business this afternoon when they face the Washington Capitals in the second game of the series in DC. The Caps won the first one 3-1 and the Rangers are looking for even the series before heading back to Madison Square Garden. Too many penalties made the Rangers pay and they didn’t get their offense going well enough. They need a stronger effort this afternoon and they need to play disciple game in order to shake up the Capitals. Game 2, the Rangers and the Caps!
WSH:
The Caps did scored a power play and surprisingly it was scored by Alex Ovetchkin. That goal tied the game and after that the Caps rallied to 3-1 win on their home ice. What the Caps did? They stayed patient. At the end their power play got it done and shots found there way in. As a little surprise, the Caps played very physical game. Braden Holtby made big saves in the 3rd period and overally played a very good game.
NYR:
The Rangers night didn’t start very well – nor didn’t end well. Just 34 into 1st period the Rangers got too many men on the ice penalty and the Caps jumped to driver’s seat. With a little bit lucky goal by Carl Hagelin, the Rangers took the 1-0 lead in the first. They killed the first three penalties but the forth (Asham’s) was too much. In the spam of 7 minutes, the Caps scored three times and took the game away.
John Moore scored? in the winding minutes of the 3rd period but there wasn’t a clear proof that the puck crossed the goal line. The Rangers won 30 face-offs but they really had a hard time winning those while on the power play. Most of the shots went wide and they didn’t get enough players in front of the net.
I think nobody was expecting a full sweep in the DC but coming back to MSG down 2-0 in the series doesn’t sound very good. The Rangers need to work on the little things and they’ll be fine. Cause only way to win it is to work for it!
Key players and stats:
Carl Hagelin scored his 1st NHL playoff goal while Ovetchkin’s goal was his 32nd career playoff goal. Braden Holtby clearly outplayed Henrik Lundqvist and he awarded with the 1st star of the game. Mats Zuccarello was -2 and he looked a little bit lost on the ice. Nash and Stepan created a few changes but they couldn’t beat Holtby. The Rangers were 0-for-4 on the power play with over minute of 5-on-3. Despite the loss, the Rangers outshooted the Caps 36-30, but most of the shots were easy saves for Holtby.
Let’s GO Rangers!
Follow me on Twitter; @VilleLampinen
