PITTSBURGH – The New York Rangers are using “Family” as their slogan during these playoffs. It’s printed on t-shirts and the poster used to mark each victory by adding another section to a picture of the Stanley Cup.
On Saturday afternoon, we were reminded that as long as Henrik Lundqvist is part of the Rangers’ family, they’ve got a chance to win every series they play.
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Were you to tune in for the opening minutes of the second period in Game 2, it didn’t look that way. The Pittsburgh Penguins were puffing their chests out and controlling play, with Phil Kessel putting three dangerous shots on goal before opening the scoring at the end of a gorgeous three-way passing sequence.
It was a highlight-worthy moment and it seems that those are the only ones where you can beat Lundqvist in the games that matter most.
His team responded with a pushback – getting goals from Keith Yandle and Derick Brassard 18 seconds apart – and Lundqvist made sure they kept control of the momentum by denying Bryan Rust on a breakaway soon after.
That allowed Mats Zuccarello to make it 3-1 before the end of a period that swung the entire game. Had New York been employing a lesser-quality goaltender – as it was forced to when Lundqvist was knocked out of Game 1 – it probably would have been tied, or trailing, at that point instead.
Every member of this family knew it too.
“It’s obviously a good feeling when you know he’s in there competing for you,” said defenceman Marc Staal. “I’m glad he’s OK and he’ll carry us the rest of the way. For a very long time he’s the most consistent, big-time player we’ve had here.”
Lundqvist is an incredible security blanket for the Rangers, especially when you get into the playoffs and the games constantly ebb and flow based on the outcome of each important moment.
It is not an overstatement to call him the most important player in the entire series. The high-flying Penguins have won 15 of their last 18 games dating back to the regular season and are incredibly dynamic. It’s going to take something special to quiet them.
Pittsburgh’s dangerous attack was bolstered further on Saturday by the return of Evgeni Malkin, who showed flashes of brilliance while bouncing between two forward lines and shifting from centre to wing. However, in his first game since March 11, he felt his rhythm was disrupted by the constant changes.
“I like (to) play one position whole game,” said Malkin. “I think it’s just one game. It’s because we have five centres and it’s little bit tough for coach, but I think next game I will play at centre.”
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan indicated that he’d review his player deployment during their two days off before Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
As much as anything, the playoffs are about adjustments.
The games are often won in the margins – with standout plays, or by exploiting matchups on the ice. The Rangers have actually controlled a little bit more of the 5-on-5 play so far in this series, which comes as somewhat of a surprise given that Pittsburgh had more success in that area during the regular season.
Beyond Lundqvist, it was forward J.T. Miller that helped turn the tide in Game 2.
The 23-year-old played his minor hockey here in Pittsburgh and picked up the primary assist on all three goals in the second period, the nicest of which was a pass that cut a seam through four Penguins before reaching Zuccarello.
“I just saw a left-handed stick over there with a little bit of space,” said Miller.
That the Rangers managed to even this series without Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi – two of their stalwart defencemen, both out injured – further underscores the value of Lundqvist. Brady Skjei and Dylan McIlrath performed admirably in their place but it’s still not the same blue line it was in playoffs past.
The game was also proof that Lundqvist wasn’t too negatively affected by taking Staal’s stick blade to the right eye – an incident he described as “scary.” As soon as the specialist told him there was no serious damage, there was no doubt in his mind that he would play.
“After I saw the doctor and I got the news, nothing wrong with the actual eye, this is not the time where you want to feel if you’re tired or you’re hurt,” said Lundqvist. “You want to be out there playing and trying to make a difference. It was a good feeling leaving that doctor appointment knowing I was ready to go.”
As we shift to New York, the most important question hanging over this series is whether Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will be ready to return from a concussion to play Game 3.
He offers somewhat of an antidote to Lundqvist’s brilliance, especially since third-stringer Jeff Zatkoff has been pressed into action in his absence.
“I thought Lundqvist played great and he made more saves than me tonight,” Zatkoff said Saturday. “That’s the difference.”
What we’ve learned, more than anything, is that the gap between these teams might be narrower than originally thought.
