The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime on Thursday night to take a stranglehold of the first round series.
When it comes to the 2016-17 New York Rangers, you never know what you’re going to get. However tonight we were treated to an outstanding overtime victory, placing the Montreal Canadiens on the brink of elimination.
Now the Rangers will move ahead to a Game Six at Madison Square Garden with a chance to clinch a trip to the second round. While the road ahead looks promising, the question tonight begs is which team will show up?
Jekyll and Hyde Rangers
The Montreal Canadiens dominated the first period tonight. New York looked like they were going to be blown off the ice like they were in the third period and overtime of Game Two, as well as the entirety of Game Three.
However, the Rangers flipped a switch seemingly out of nowhere. While the second period was mostly back and forth action, New York turned on the jets for the third period. Though neither team scored a goal, the Rangers controlled play heading into overtime.
Once overtime started, it was evident that the Rangers were not about to back down. The Game Three Rangers were distant strangers, while the new and improved squad would not be denied a road victory. New York pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed aaaaand scored. Carey Price stopped numerous glorious chances that most other goaltenders in the playoffs would not have stopped.
Mika Zibanejad finished off the Canadiens with a rocket past Price to give the Rangers a 3-2 series lead. When all was said and done, New York out-possessed Montreal 24-14 in Corsi For in the overtime. They dominated, fully deserving the huge win.
While we would like to take a moment to celebrate the victory, a question comes up. Considering how well New York played in the third period and overtime, what happens if they play like that throughout an entire game? An entire series? How far can this team go?
Of course we should celebrate the individual victory. It was a thrill-ride from the moment the second period began, and New York deserved to come out on top. Most organizations don’t get overtime wins on a near-annual basis, but Henrik Lundqvist and company have made a habit of it. In a few years we’ll watch that goal with smiles across our faces.
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Moving Forward With Questions
However, the playoffs are still going on. The Rangers still have a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. So while we want to properly appreciate what just happened, we also have to ask: why can’t the Rangers play like that all the time?
Dan Girardi looked terrific out there. New York pushed rather than being pushed. New York made Montreal play Rangers hockey, not the other way around. The defense was stellar, allowing Nick Holden and Marc Staal to be just OK for the team to succeed. All four lines rolled with comfort.
The belief here is it boils down to Alain Vigneault pushing the team to never stop pushing, and also pushing the right buttons himself. It does not seem like a coincidence that the only period the Rangers struggled in was the one in which Nick Holden and Marc Staal heavily led in ice time. It does not seem like a coincidence that Pavel Buchnevich was on the ice for the overtime winner.
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What we learned tonight is that overtime winners will never stop being fun, and this Rangers team has a chance to really go places. Or they could lose Games Six and Seven. It all depends on which Rangers team shows up. We hope it’s the third period and overtime team.