New York Rangers: Ready for Lightning in Game Two

The New York Rangers are Ready for Any Storm the Tampa Bay Lightning are about to Unleash in Game Two.

When: 8:00 PM EST
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Broadcast: NBCSN

All it Takes is One:

This seems to be the New York Rangers‘ motto right now, often winning games by one goal.

If that’s what it takes for them to win, I’ll gladly take it. The entire series with the Washington Capitals was decided by one-goal games. Game One against Tampa Bay Lightning was no different. If we can repeat that series ending to the current one, who am I to complain?

Big Ben:

Ben Bishop is a big guy and he fills in the net with his 6′-7″ frame. During the regular season, the Rangers had a hard time getting the puck past Bishop. Game One changed that dreaded curse from last fall. The Rangers were getting good quality shots on goal but that beast of a boy denied 30 of them. It was looking like we were headed in the same direction until Derek Stepan scored the first goal of the game in the second period.

That goal was a perfect set up. I was not surprised to see that puck hit the back of the net. A noticeable thing to the size of Big Ben is the age-old saying that “the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” That couldn’t be truer in his case. He is slow to get up once he is down. If the Rangers could plant two guys in front of the net, one to screen and one who is ready for a rebound shot, all they would need is a solid shot on goal to get him down. Then a rebound shot aimed high above Bishop’s pads (just as Stepan did) is a great way to beat him in front.

Speaking Of Size:

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Game One in the Eastern Conference Final had a much different look than the Rangers’ previous matchups, size being the notable factor. The Capitals were bigger and they certainly didn’t mind throwing their bodies around. This caused our boys to scramble. Dan Boyle was victim to one of the hard hits they dished out. It was unclear at the time if he would suffer an injury or not from a hit he took in Game Seven.

The Lightning appear to be similar in stature to our Blueshirts. This seems to level the playing field. The Rangers have the ability to think more in the game about their play versus scrambling to get out-of-the-way.

Along with our size, the Lightning appear to match our speed as well. I fully expected this series to be a fast one and Saturday’s game proved that to be true. The puck was moving a lot faster and our play was more like what got us in these finals in the first place.

Our King:

While Dominic Moore netted the game winning goal and deserves us singing his praises, it is Henrik Lundqvist who once again was a hero of the game. He allowed only one goal and did everything in his power to keep it that way. Proof can be seen in this amazing helmet save seen here via Stephanie Vail.

This is only Game Two. The focus remains one game at a time. But with saves like this one and various Rangers stepping up and scoring goals, I can’t help but think we should have no problem ultimately changing the ending.

Next: Vigneault Should Keep the Lineup Flexible in Round Three

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