New York Rangers Thoughts on a Promising Series Win
The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 last night, earning themselves a trip to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Let’s take a look back and ahead.
Finishing off the Canadiens
-First of all, Henrik Lundqvist was a beast yet again. Lundqvist stopped every stoppable puck, dominating and frustrating the Canadiens. If Lundqvist continues to play like this, the New York Rangers will keep advancing. At that point this Rangers offense will only need to score 2-3 goals per game. They can do that.
-Now that the Rangers won the series, we’re going to look back at the series as a whole more than last night’s game individually. However, one note on last night’s game: Kevin Hayes was back to playing like Kevin Hayes. For the majority of this series Hayes has been hesitant and weak, but last night Hayes used his size and speed to attack in all zones.
New York Rangers Series in Review
-The turning point of the series was when the Rangers plugged Pavel Buchnevich in for Tanner Glass. The belief here is that the Rangers would not have won the series if they did not do that. We will have an article about this in the coming days, but the whole idea is the Rangers playing to their own strengths.
New York is a team built for skill and speed play, not size play. When the Rangers played a size-based game this series, the Canadiens dominated. That’s because the Rangers were playing Canadiens hockey. However, when New York played Rangers-style hockey, the Canadiens were left chasing them.
Notice the series shifted in Game Four, right when Pavel Buchnevich re-entered the lineup. This isn’t to say Tanner Glass played poorly, but he brought the wrong dynamic to the lineup. He forced a line to play a size game, something the Canadiens exploited. With Buchnevich in, the Rangers could play four lines of skill and speed.
-Speaking of which, kudos to Alain Vigneault for actually adjusting against the Canadiens. Didn’t think he had it in him anymore.
-History. Does. Not. Matter. In. The. Playoffs. In 2014 everyone said the Rangers couldn’t beat the Canadiens because Henrik Lundqvist couldn’t play in Montreal.
Then in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals everyone said the Rangers couldn’t win Game Six because they only played seven game series’. 2015 saw everyone assume the Rangers would win Game Seven against the Tampa Bay Lightning because they always won Game Sevens at home.
Trends are made to be broken. The Rangers were awful against the Canadiens during the regular season, but that all became meaningless last night. New York couldn’t solve Carey Price historically, but that all became meaningless last night. History doesn’t determine a team’s fate. The here and now do.
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Moving Forward
-With that in mind, the depth is how the Rangers can help Henrik Lundqvist get the Rangers past the Ottawa Senators or Boston Bruins. The Senators and Bruins both lack lethal scoring depth, and the Rangers have far more depth than either team. New York can use their depth advantage to defeat whichever team they face.
Whichever team it is will try to turn the series into a defensive style of hockey. New York must adjust like they did against the Canadiens and play Rangers hockey.
-Hopping on another prior note, when we find out who the Rangers play in the next round, don’t jump to look at history. New York’s numbers against Boston or Ottawa can provide context, but they won’t tell us who will win the series.
Look at the here and now. (And hey, look at Blue Line Station for the analysis on the here and now #shamelessplug)
-New York Rangers that need to play better in the second round (other than the obvious culprits on defense): Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan. Stepan had an OK game last night, but needs to play a better all-around game. J.T. Miller looked solid last night, so he gets a pass this time.
-When the Rangers are on, they’re really on. The Canadiens series showed how lethal the Rangers team can be, especially with Lundqvist in net. Boston and Ottawa aren’t exactly powerhouses, but Pittsburgh and Washington are. Still, one round at a time. The confidence level is high right now, and remember: every playoff hockey game we get is a treat. This is the best time of the year. Let’s Go Rangers.
Next: The Hobbit Sends the Habs Home
-Finally, since I specifically have been a vocal critic over the past couple of years, I’d like to point out one Ranger who deserves praise. Dan Girardi had a fantastic series against the Montreal Canadiens. If he can play like that in the next round(s?) the Rangers will be all the more dangerous. Regardless, it’s awesome to see.