If you’re a fan of long Stanley Cup Final series, you got the wrong result in the first game of the 2014 showdown.
The New York Rangers entered the final as clear underdogs against the Los Angeles Kings, which means they must win all the coin flips. And despite the Kings’ domination of the third period, that’s exactly what a Game 1 that ended with L.A. winning 3-2 in overtime was. New York certainly had its chances, from an early 2-0 lead that evaporated, to Carl Hagelin’s unsuccessful shorthanded breakaway in the final minute, to killing the rest of that penalty to Brian Boyle—which extended into extra time—and not building any momentum off of it.
Then an uncharacteristic turnover cost the Rangers the game.
The Blueshirts may be in Hollywood, but they’re not likely to find a DeLorean that will allow them to go back in time and grab a game that was there for the taking. As such, here are three things New York can do as it tries to escape L.A. with a split.
1. Take care of that puck: Rangers coach Alain Vigneault wouldn’t point a finger at Dan Girardi—one of the team’s bedrock defencemen—after he was in the middle of the mix-up that led to Justin William’s game-winner. Vigneault noted the puck bounced over Girardi’s stick, but the veteran probably could have made a calmer recovery. Instead, Girardi threw the puck up the boards and onto the stick of Mike Richards, who dished to Williams for his game-ending shot.
Maybe you can attribute the final L.A. goal to bad luck on the Rangers’ part, but the first Kings marker was undeniably a bad turnover. That occurred when Derek Stepan put a clearing attempt right into the body of Kyle Clifford. Clifford then drove the net, the puck came back to him, and all of a sudden New York’s 2-0 first-period lead was cut in half, and the home crowd was back roaring.
Strong defensive play is the foundation of New York’s approach, and it must be tighter in Game 2.
2. Keep blazin’: The one area where the Rangers hold a clear advantage over the Kings is team speed. We saw it from Hagelin, both in the first period, when he created a shorthanded break that wound up in the Kings’ net, then again on the aforementioned one-on-one with Jonathan Quick in the dying moments, when L.A.’s goalie made one of his patented timely saves.
Drew Doughty might move like a humming bird; the rest of the L.A. defence isn’t nearly as mobile. Guys like Hagelin, Martin St. Louis and Mats Zuccarello really have to push them.
3. Counter culture: Realistically, there won’t be many extended stretches in this series where the Rangers dictate the pace. That means they’re going to have to bury a higher percentage of chances off the rush. They actually did a pretty good job of that in Game 1, with both Hagelin and Benoit Pouliot sniping when they saw a little daylight. That must continue, and maybe a little then some.
Of course, this is where stars like St. Louis and Rick Nash have to shine. They’re the guys who are supposed to be able to exploit the smallest of chances, and that’s likely all the Broadway Boys are going to get in this final.