The New York Rangers were a bit of a surprise to some to walk out of round one and now to everyone’s shock are also trailing in round two. Not to take anything away from the Ottawa Senators, but judging by the odds, they were not supposed to be leading this series this early. The Rangers fell behind through three games (2-1) to Montreal in the opening games of their quarterfinal tilt, so we’ve seen this story before.
What the Rangers need to do to even up this series is play a full zone when in their defensive end. They’re giving Ottawa’s defense far too much time to think and it’s hurting them. Too many shots are getting through and the Sens leading point-getter Erik Karlsson is capitalizing. While his game one winner was from a brutal angle, there are still too many shots getting through to King Henrik between the pipes. If the Rangers want to extend their postseason they’ll need to preserve their aging net minder.
Lundqvist is second in the league in save percentage at 1.74 and atop all goalies with 262 shots faced. The Rangers need to limit the opposition’s time and chances in their own end.
It’s not a surprise to most that the Senators are here; everyone wrote off the Bruins a long time ago. The Rangers, on the other hand, are a different breed altogether. They were hungry in game one and even struck first. Their achilles heal, though, has been the same all postseason long – blown leads.
They’ve given up the go-ahead goal on three seperate occasions thus far. That may not seem like much, but considering they’ve only played seven games, it is a cause for concern.
However, if you’re Ottawa, it’s a sense of relief. Knowing that you can pepper the King with shots and you’re bound to squeak one through is reassuring for a team that is second in the league in shot attempts this postseason (230).
For the Sens to take a stranglehold on this series, they’re going to have to pile on the rubber. Get bodies in front and keep the shots coming on Lundqvist. If they can do that and keep the puck down low, the odd time the point gets open could prove positive for the home town red and black.
Writer’s Prediction
Lundqvist lets in an easy one. He doesn’t do it often, but when it happens, it’s a killer. Sens win 4-2 with an empty netter.
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