May 20, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) looks on from the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period of game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
5) 2 words – Henrik. Lundqvist.
After the 6-5 loss against the Lightning, a lot of Rangers fans went into meltdown about how Henrik Lundqvist has been performing, and to some extent they have a point. A lot of Rangers fans aren’t used to seeing Lundqvist let in six goals a game, and he’s proved that it isn’t a normal thing in the series against the Penguins, and also the series against the Capitals, where out of 12 total games, he kept the opponent to scoring no more than one goal a total of six times.
New York Rangers
When asked about sitting Lundqvist for Game Four, Alain Vigneault simply laughed and replied “Is that a question?” He then went on to say “Hank’s the guy.” And of course he is. Lundqvist has been the backbone of the New York Rangers for years and years, and he has carried them to victory in certain games time and time again. And each time that Lundqvist has been beaten, he has responded. He responded in the first round against the Penguins, where the Rangers lost Game Two, 4-3. He responded against the Capitals in Round Two, and won three straight games in which he played his heart out.
Teammate Derick Brassard said “We didn’t give our goalie a chance to be successful the past two games.” Ex teammate Ryan Callahan also said that Lundqvist is “A competitor. Everybody knows that. He’s one of the best goalies in the league for a reason. He’s gonna compete and he’s gonna play his best.”
It is also not just the fault of Lundqvist that the Rangers lost Game Two and Three. It is also due to the amount of penalties taken by the Rangers that leads to the Lightning scoring goals. It is also due to the fact there the defending in Game Two and Three was, in a nutshell, awful.
Henrik Lundqvist though, does need to bounce back for the game on Friday, where the Rangers look to tie up the series and make it 2-2.
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