New York Rangers: Game 2 Represents Huge Opportunity
The New York Rangers outlasted the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night to take a 1-0 series lead. Game two is crucial for the Rangers to further their position in the series.
The New York Rangers will look to keep the momentum going in game two in Montreal on Friday night.
The strategy in game two will be all about continuing the great defense we saw in game one. Everyone stepped up and there were no visible weak links.
Keeping the defense up is just one of the things the Rangers will look to do. Getting another win Friday will do more than just get the Rangers one game closer to a Stanley Cup.
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Road Dominance
The Rangers are the league’s best team on the road. Their 27 wins were significantly better than any of the league’s other teams. The Blackhawks were the next closest team at 24 wins.
Keeping the wins coming on the road is important for the Rangers. They are tied at 21 for the least amount of home wins among playoff teams with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It will help immensely if they don’t need to rely on home ice; and unless the Rangers find out how to win more at home, they will need to lean on the road. It’s not the worst circumstance since the Rangers will likely spend the whole playoffs without home ice advantage.
It’s also worth noting that the Rangers got pummeled by the Canadiens at the Garden twice earlier this year. It will be a lot easier to find their edge when they have two games in hand coming home.
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Henrik Lundqvist’s Confidence
The key to the Rangers playoff success in the past has been the play of their goalie, Henrik Lundqvist.
This season has been Lundqvist’s worst statistically. He had his career lowest .910% save percentage and 2.74 goals against average. Game one was a huge confidence booster for Lundqvist. He posted his 10th career playoff shutout and showed shades of his old self.
If Lundqvist can mimic that performance in game two he should be beaming and ready to continue to play well.
Related Story: Henrik Lundqvist Wins Game One Goalie Battle
Opportunity for Rest
The faster you win a series, the more rest you get. It’s unlikely that all eight first round series’ will be over in four or five games, which means the teams that finish first get some time off.
The Rangers have struggled with this in the past. They have had long series’ all the way up to the finish. It’s no wonder they haven’t won a cup since 1994.
Another interesting aspect is that the winner of the Ottawa Senators v. Boston Bruins series would get the Rangers if they win. It’s looking like that series will be very back and forth and the winner will be tired; giving the Rangers a chance to jump out of the gate in the series.
Next: New York Rangers-Canadiens Thoughts Following Game One
A game two win will certainly put the Rangers in a great place to get the job done as quickly as possible, which will be tremendous for them going forward.