New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist shines in skills competition

On a Friday night in San Jose, New York Rangers’ goaltender Henrik Lundqvist once again rose to the occasion on a bright stage and won the save streak competition.

For all of the silliness that surrounds the week leading up to the all-star game, it still has its moments. Seeing all of the NHL’s best and brightest stars, sans Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, share the ice on Friday night turns everyone into a little kid again. For a New York Rangers’ team with little to be happy about this season, Henrik Lundqvist was worth tuning in.

At face value, the save streak competition seems simple enough. Players from the other divisions take breakaways on a goaltender and the goalie that makes the most saves consecutively wins. With some of the best players in the entire league breaking in on Lundqvist, the Swede stood on his head like he had so many times before in his career.

To be completely fair, Lundqvist’s season with the Rangers to this point was a tune-up for such a contest. Regardless of the fact that the 36, soon to be 37-year-old was the oldest of every all-star selected this year, he put on an absolute show with the league’s best trying to tuck it past him.

In rapid succession, Lundqvist battled off attempts from Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, John Tavares and others. When all was said and done, the Swede made 12 consecutive saves, passing the leader, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had eight in a row.

This was Lundqvist’s fifth time participating in all-star game festivities, but only the first in which he picked up a win.

After years of struggling during the shootout following regulation when he was once one of the league’s best, Lundqvist made a change this season. As the Swede told Larry Brooks of the New York Post in November “I’ve made some adjustments,” Lundqvist said. “Not so much my positioning, but my stance. It’s separate from the changes I made in my game.

For all of the troubles surrounding the on-ice product of the Rangers this season, moments like this are something for the franchise’s signature player to hang his hat on. Like Raymond Borque in the late 90s that was one of the league’s best players that could never win with his team, Lundqvist relished the stage presented to him.

Borque famously one the accuracy shooting contest on four shots. Lundqvist didn’t quite live up to that bar of franchise legend who didn’t get enough help. But, at least for one night in San Jose, the best player in the history of the Rangers’ organization got to feel the rush of a grand stage one more time.

Since the Rangers look a long way off from competing in the postseason again any time soon, Lundqvist will have to make the most of these type of opportunities. Don’t be surprised when the Swede represents New York at next year’s all-star game as a soon to be 38-year-old.