New York Rangers 2016 Player Previews: Henrik Lundqvist
Back in 2000, if someone would have told you that the 205th 7th round pick would be a key player for the New York Rangers, that person would be considered crazy. Now, 16 years later, the King continues to be the rock in the Rangers’ crease.
After an early elimination from the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs and an eye injury that had bothered him for a while as well, Henrik Lundqvist will be looking for a bounce-back season. Lundqvist has obviously been a mainstay in net for the New York Rangers for 11 seasons now. In 10 of the 11 seasons, Lundqvist has won 30 games or more. The only season he didn’t reach that mark, the lockout-shortened season of 2013-14.
2015-16 Season Traditional Stats
Games played: 63
Wins: 35
Losses: 21
Shutouts: 4
Goals Against Average: 2.48
Goals Against: 156
Save Percentage: .920
Season in Review
Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers entered the 2015-16 season hungry to make another run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, after a disappointing Game 7 shutout loss at home vs. the Tampa Bay Lighting.
With the play of Lundqvist, combined with the team in front of him, we saw the Rangers go on an early nine-game winning streak. That streak lasted until they met up with a familiar foe in the Lightning. Tampa Bay ended up defeating the Rangers in the final minutes of the third, while short-handed.
For the rest of the season, the team and goalie, that looked unstoppable looked mediocre at best. However, Lundqvist was not to blame for the way the team would lose games.
The all-star goalie didn’t get the support he needed from the team in front of him. The team’s defense gave up more than a handful of shots in the slot per game.
Late February the team and Lundqvist look like their game was coming back. Until March 3rd, Lundqvist got hurt in Pittsburgh when Ryan Mcdonagh ran into him, following this, Lundqvist flipped the net over to stop play when the refs wouldn’t blow the whistle.
While out, the team performed well in front of backup Antti Raanta, but when playoffs were closing in the team was happy to see their number netminder return.
The team didn’t know their playoff opponent until the last day of the season. When it turned out it would be Pittsburgh, even though the Rangers were the underdogs, the big question was; will the Penguins backup be able to go head to head with Lundqvist.
Lundqvist would get hurt in the closing seconds of the first period of Game 1; stick to the eye. The rest of the series seemed to favor the Penguins control. Their speed was too much for the Rangers defense and Lundqvist.
2016-2017 Projected Stats
Age Entering Season: 34 (will turn 35 in March)
Games Played: 62
Wins: 35
Losses: 20
Shutouts: 5
Goals Against Average: 2.36
Goals Against: 156
Save Percentage: .924
Reasoning: There is no secret, Lundqvist is not getting any younger. However, I wouldn’t say his play slowed down. Last season was more of a let down by the entire team. With the World Cup of Hockey starting soon and Lundqvist starting for team Sweden, the injury factor is something to keep in mind. Especially since the last two seasons Lundqvist missed some time due to neck problems.
You’d hope that the Wold Cup of Hockey will get his game going early and he could ride the momentum into the regular season. Don’t let the World Cup turn you off to the players playing longer, because maybe, Lundqvist will get time off during the All-Star break.
Next: New York Rangers Player Previews: Mats Zuccarello
Antti Raanta proved time in and time out an excellent backup to Lundqvist. However, if the Rangers are going to make any impact this season, Lundqvist will play a significant role. A team that doesn’t score much, and has struggled to score the last few seasons, they will only be as good as their netminder.