New York Rangers vs. Canadiens Game Five Thoughts: Mika America Great Again

In a thrilling game five, the New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens in overtime courtesy of a Mika Zibanejad goal. Here are our thoughts from after the contest.

Oh. My. God…
Good thing I went to the bathroom before the overtime, otherwise things could’ve gone in a really bad direction in the Williams’ residence after Chris Kreider whiffed on a puck with a wide-open net midway through overtime. I get that the puck was on edge and all but holy crap, dude…
What a goal by Mika Zibanejad! There has been a lot of Monday morning quarterback-like talk in Rangerstown about the Brassard for Zibanejad trade with the former’s recent success with the Senators so far in the first round. Yes, Brassard is a great playoff performer, but Zibanejad has the potential to be just as good. Plus, Zibanejad has scored multiple overtime goals this year, proving that he has the clutch gene.
If Alain Vigneault takes apart the KZB line at any point for the rest of the playoffs, he may be certifiably insane. The line carried possession for a majority of their time on the ice, and just like we saw in the early parts of the regular season as well as the preseason, these guys have some chemistry.
And how about Pavel Buchnevich? This kid is going to be so good. His speed and skill rub off on whoever he is on the ice with, and through two career NHL playoff games, he looks like a seasoned veteran out there.

That line was as good as the Holden and Staal pairing were bad. Here’s a live action shot of them on defense.

I will never understand for the life of me how they are still (A in the lineup and (B on the same line. Does Alain Vigneault really think, Adam Clendening is worse than either of the two?
You know what scares the crap out of me? I think a Clendening-Kampfer pairing would be light years better at this point….
While we are on the subject of defensemen, the other four who suited up for the Rangers last night each deserve an individual shoutout.
Ryan McDonagh, as usual, was a stud out there. He has really stepped up his game since the game three debacle.
Dan Girardi has turned back the clocks in a big way so far in the series. Maybe it’s the goatee…

We are running out of adjectives to bestow Brady Skjei with. Skjei became the first Rangers’ rookie defenseman to score multiple goals in a playoff season since Brian Leetch in 1989. The kid brings it in all three zones and honestly, I believe he has the highest ceiling of any defenseman the Rangers have had since Leetch–yes, that includes McDonagh.
And last but not least, Brendan Smith is quickly becoming one of my favorite players on the team. The dude takes no flak from anyone and is absolutely fearless. On top of this, he is as solid as they come on the backend. A lot of people in Detroit were disappointed with his development since he was an offensive dynamo back in college, but if I could have six Brendan Smiths on defense, I would be more than happy.

I don’t know how I haven’t even mentioned him yet, but Rick Nash is on full out beast mode right now. I have never seen Rick Nash play this well in a Rangers’ uniform. He didn’t score tonight, but he assisted on Skjei’s goal with a terrific drive to the net. If he continues to use his 6’4″ frame every night and use it to drive to the net, the Rangers have that elite offensive weapon that most people think they are missing.
Speaking of big forwards, Kevin Hayes had his best game of the playoffs last night. Hayes didn’t touch the scoresheet yet again, but he was able to use his size to shield and protect the puck, as well as create solid chances for his teammates all night long.

The fact that the Rangers have done as well as they have this series without Kreider, Stepan, Hayes or Miller scoring a goal is incredible.
It is going to be a shame when the Rangers lose Jesper Fast in the expansion draft.
On a side note, I think Boo Nieves could do a fine job replacing Fast, but I do not wanna see Fast go anytime soon. That kid is a workhorse and brings it every night.
And of course, none of this can happen without Henrik Lundqvist doing Henrik Lundqvist things in the second period while the Rangers were sleeping on the bench. He has been out of this world over the course of the series. Don’t think for a second that the matchup with Carey Price hasn’t motivated him to play at this level.

If you are going to game six on Saturday night, make sure to be loud and enjoy what should be a hell of a game in a hell of a series.
Lets Go Rangers!