In the record books it will show that Henrik Lundqvist lost game two for the New York Rangers. The real loser? Alain Vigneault.
The New York Rangers had the Montreal Canadiens right where they wanted them. Up 1-0 in the series, up 3-2 going into the third period of Game Two. All the Rangers had to do was finish them off. With that, New York would go home up 2-0 in the series, creating a difficult situation for the Canadiens to come back from.
Instead, the Rangers shelled. Instead, Alain Vigneault blew the game. While the entire team outside of Henrik Lundqvist owned responsibility for New York shelling, Alain Vigneault put the nail in the Rangers’ Game Two coffin. Alain Vigneault wasted an outstanding performance by Henrik Lundqvist.
Let’s rewind.
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A Disastrous Decision
Throughout the evening, the Montreal Canadiens owned Marc Staal and Nick Holden. The pairing was on the ice for the Canadiens’ first and second goals. On the first goal, Staal and Holden failed to recognize Henrik Lundqvist was playing without a stick. The Canadiens capitalized.
Montreal’s second goal arrived when Holden and Staal were both behind the net. This led to the Canadiens owning a prime opportunity in front of the net, where the play generally occurs. Nick Holden and Marc Staal should probably learn this.
However, those moments did not teach Alain Vigneault anything. With the Rangers up 3-2 with a minute remaining, Vigneault put Staal and Holden on the ice.
What came next will not surprise you. The Montreal Canadiens gained possession, firing on all cylinders. New York could not get the puck out of their own zone, as the forwards could not count on help from the defensemen.
Captain and top defenseman Ryan McDonagh watched from the bench as Nick Holden slashed Tomas Plekanec in front, breaking his own stick. This left Henrik Lundqvist with one defenseman guarding the net in front of him, screening him, and playing without a stick.
Again, what came next will not surprise you.
Plekanec took advantage of Holden’s ineptitude, and Lundqvist could not stop what he could not see and did not receive any help on. The Canadiens tied the game, and went into overtime rather than heading towards New York down 2-0 in the series.
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Failure To Finish
Besides the horrendous deployment late in the game, the team failed to finish from top to bottom. While we can blame individual players, Vigneault deserves the majority of the blame. The team sat back, and Vigneault failed to get them to push back. Lundqvist received zero help, while Vigneault continued to push out Staal and Holden over their superior colleagues.
In overtime, the Rangers’ coach continued to throw out Staal and Holden, and the team continued to look disorganized and lethargic.
Regardless of if Vigneault deserves the blame for the sluggish overtime, there never should have been an overtime. It’s the coaches job to see who’s playing well and who’s not and deploy them properly. This means throughout the game and throughout the season.
Next: Rangers Canadiens Thoughts Following Game One
Alain Vigneault iced one of the worst defensive pairs in the National Hockey League, playing one of their worst games of the season in a playoff game. They blew the lead. The Rangers lost. Henrik Lundqvist got the loss. Alain Vigneault should have. He lost the game.