New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist Shutout Penguins
By Frank Pickel
Lundqvist Records 58th Career Shutout
Last night in Pittsburgh, the New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0. It was by no means pretty hockey. In fact the first period was rough to watch. Staal and Boyle seemed loose with the puck and were at fault for frequent turnovers in the defensive and neutral zone, which allowed the Penguins to dominate time of possession and shots on goal. However, the Rangers were able to leave the first period up 1-0 due in large part to Kevin Hayes’s timely power play goal that came off a Tanner Glass shot rebound.
The, albeit, sloppy first period from the Rangers was forgave and forgotten because of their play between the pipes, which was a common theme throughout the entire game. Henrik Lundqvist was on fire last night. He recorded 10 saves in the first, 11 in the second and 13 in the third for a total of 34 saves.
The New York Rangers defense did improve with each period and they were able to hold the all mighty Sidney Crosby to zero shots. This broke Crosby’s career high seven game goal streak, he also failed to improve on his 11 game, 12 goal and 22 point streak, which he carried into last nights game.
This proves the Blueshirts are capable of playing, and more importantly winning, crucial divisional match ups and road games without their captain, Ryan McDonagh who has no timetable for return. This win came in large part to the under appreciated and rarely acknowledged, Jesper Fast. He played an excellent defensive game and recorded an empty net goal in the third period. Dominic Moore also had a nice game with an absolute filthy top cheese goal that flew by Marc-André Fleury in the third period. The goal came during a 2-on-1 break away, which was the byproduct of a solid defensive play from Derek Stepan, who was the lone assist on the Moore goal.
Lets not kid ourselves though, Lundqvist was the reason the New York Rangers won last night. He was able to one-up Fleury in goal and continues to play well after going through a rough patch in December, which looks to be behind him now. With last nights win, Lundqvist passed Martin Brodeur for most victories by a goaltender in his first 11 NHL seasons, further solidifying his career as the King.
Speaking of Kings, the New York Rangers are now on a four game winning streak and will play host to the L.A. Kings on Friday. The Kings are in first place in the Pacific division and are coming off an insane offensive barrage in Boston where they posted a 9-2 victory over the Bruins. The L.A. Kings will first play the Islanders tonight before heading to MSG on Friday.
The New York Rangers are finding ways to win without Nash and McDonagh and that is a great sign. They are slowly building a new team identity by grinding out tough and ugly victories. A win is a win though and right now every point counts. The Eastern Conference is no where near set in stone, unlike the Western Conference, in which the eight teams currently in playoff contention will most likely be the eight teams to enter the playoffs.
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The Blueshirts hope to get McDonagh back as soon as possible, but there is no guarantee and with his absence there is still a void in their defense. This injury takes Yandle off the trade table and seems to permanently implant Boyle on the left side until the captain returns to the lineup. How long will the Rangers continue to win while down a left side defenseman is beyond me, but it seems to be working just fine right now.