Just two games into the Eastern Conference final, the Montreal Canadiens are already facing a must-win game. Down 2-0 in the series to the New York Rangers and heading into the first game at Madison Square Garden, it’ll take a monumental effort to even the series and overcome a Rangers team led by the red-hot Henrik Lundqvist. With no shortage of compelling storylines, here are five things to watch for in Game 3:
1. Kitchen nightmares
It’s one thing to say both teams will be looking to stay aggressive in getting the puck on net and in the opposing goalie’s kitchen, but in doing so they’ll have different aims. The Habs simply must try anything they can to disrupt Lundqvist’s flow (and I’m not talking about his hair). King Henrik has been the best player in the playoffs thus far; he’s a big reason why the Rangers are on the brink of returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years. In Game 2, Montreal was effective in this department, registering a whopping 41 shots, yet only seven of those were taken from less than 10 feet from the net — including the Habs’ lone goal. They’ll need a similar barrage and more traffic in front of the crease to take Lundqvist off his game. As for the Rangers, it’s simple: Dustin Tokarski has never been in this situation before, and New York should look to be aggressive in getting to the net early if it’s going to put the scare in the rookie goalie.
2. Reading too much
After Habs coach Michel Therrien placed winger Thomas Vanek, the team’s highest-paid player, on the fourth line during Wednesday’s practice alongside Daniel Briere, he urged the media not to “read too much, OK?” But reading into these things is a major part of our job description, so let’s go ahead and do just that: On the one hand, the pseudo-demotion, however brief it may turn out to be, could serve as a wake-up call for Vanek, who despite moments of brilliance has disappeared in stretches like this at times throughout his career. But Therrien, you would think, is desperate right now, looking for something, anything, to spark his club. It’s why he turned to rookie Tokarski in Game 2 and will again tonight (more on that later), and it can also be a motivation for pairing Vanek with Briere. The two combined for 25 points in 16 games while members of the Buffalo Sabres during their playoff run in 2007, so there is a history of chemistry there. But let’s be real: that was seven years ago… and Chris Drury isn’t walking through the Habs dressing room door anytime soon.
3. Mighty McDonagh
Sometimes a player just goes on a tear, and all you can do is hope he cools down. That’s what’s happening with Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh, who leads the series with two goals and six points through the first two games — the kind of point production that, before this series at least, you would expect from the likes of, oh, say, P.K. Subban as opposed to McDonagh. Right now the Rangers D-man is playing like he’s Al MacInnis in EA Sports’ NHL 93 (which is to say, nearly unstoppable from the blue line), and save for doing a better job of getting in front of his shots, there doesn’t seem to be a solution for the Habs on the horizon.
4. Road Warriors
If there’s any solace for the Canadiens heading into Madison Square Garden, it’s that the Rangers have been more productive on the road than at home during the playoffs. At MSG they’ve allowed the fifth-most goals, with 15 in seven games, while scoring 17. On the road they’ve scored 27, including seven on the power play, as opposed to just three at home. Some of that is skewed by their 7-2 drubbing at the Bell Centre in Game 1, but it’s one of the few positives the Habs can point to before Game 3, especially considering they’re third in overall goals on the road and tied for the league lead with eight power-play goals on enemy soil.
5. The Legend of Dustin Tokarski
Here’s what we know about Tokarski heading into Game 3:
(a) He has one of the greatest hockey names imaginable (if you can name a better one, a real one, go ahead in the comments below), and that must count for something, no?
(b) He’s not Ken Dryden, but it’s an insane expectation to lay on the rookie simply because he entered this post-season with the same playoff experience Dryden had when he led the Canadiens to the Cup in 1971. Which is to say, none.
(c) How he responds tonight will have a direct impact on whether or not Montreal will be able to survive its stay in New York. His teammates must do a better job of supporting him, but there’s no question the pressure is on Tokarski in a way he’s never experienced on the ice before. And as they say, pressure bursts pipes. But it also makes diamonds.
