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Rangers lose Lundqvist to injury as Penguins take a Game 1 victory
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
It’s a good thing that it’s a seven game series.
Patric Hornqvist scored a hat trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins took down the New York Rangers in Game 1, 5-2, backstopped by a 35 save performance from Jeff Zatkoff, their third string journeyman goaltender.
What’s worse? Henrik Lundqvist took an errant stick to the eye and was removed from the game after the first period. Antti Raanta was forced into his first career playoff game, and although three goals on 19 shots doesn’t look great, he was fantastic in relief. Read the rest of this entry
BREAKING: Henrik Lundqvist leaves practice…twice
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
UPDATE (3:26): Alain Vigneault stated that Henrik Lundqvist was ill and was not able to complete practice. He didn’t seem concerned and said that he expects Hank to be healthy and ready to practice tomorrow. He also said that Ryan McDonagh definitely would miss the start of the playoffs, and that Girardi, Eric Staal, Zuccarello and Stalberg should be good to go
On Monday afternoon during the Rangers first practice before the playoffs, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist left the ice on two separate occasions and did not return after the second time.
The first time, Lundqvist skated off of the ice and to the locker room, forcing one of the equipment managers to scramble to get changed into goalie equipment. Lundqvist returned to the ice 14 minutes later and practiced for about five minutes. But he wound up going over to head coach Alain Vigneault, speaking to him briefly and leaving the ice for good, being replaced by an equipment manager. (All information from Pat Leonard on Twitter).
This may the worst possible news the Rangers could have received. Henrik Lundqvist has been the biggest reason for the Rangers’ success in recent years, and he’s been the cornerstone of this franchise since 2005. Lundqvist has been phenomenal in the playoffs, especially last season, where he allowed just 20 goals in the first 13 games of the playoffs.
If Henrik Lundqvist is out long term, and this is not confirmed in anyway, then the Rangers shot at winning the Cup this season is significantly impacted. Couple the loss of McDonagh with the potential loss of Lundqvist and the Rangers will have a hard time getting out of the first round.
Antti Raanta would fill in, and thankfully, he’s been stellar to end the season, winning seven of his last eight starts, allowing two goals or less in all seven of those wins. Raanta has shown to be a capable goaltender when called upon, but no Lundqvist would make the Rangers’ lives a lot more difficult.
As far as other news on the Rangers players, Eric Staal, Mats Zuccarello and Viktor Stalberg all skated today and fully participated in the drills. Dan Girardi skated in a contact jersey and Ryan McDonagh skated in a non-contact jersey, but McDonagh left the ice before practice started.
Stay tuned to The Ranger Zone for more updates on the situation.
Rangers close out the regular season with a home win over Detroit
Bobby Bevilacqua
Dan Boyle celebrates after scoring his 10th goal of the season in the first period. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite already having their ticket punched to the postseason, the Rangers (46-27-9) came out strong and won their last game of the regular season, escaping some late drama and taking down the Detroit Red Wings (41-30-11) by a final score of 3-2.
The Rangers could have knocked the Red Wings out of a playoff spot, but luckily for Detroit, the Boston Bruins were blown out by the Senators, 6-1, in their last game of the season. That means that the Red Wings clinch a playoff berth for the 25th consecutive season, and the Flyers need two points to get back into the playoffs.
Despite a lackluster record on the road, the Rangers finished the season with a 27-10-4 record at MSG, and secured a point in 19 of the last 25 home games. Unfortunately, they will not have home ice advantage in the playoffs, but that record is still encouraging heading into the postseason. They also finished with 101 points, marking the first time since the 1971-72 season and the 1972-73 season that they have earned 100 points in back-to-back seasons. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers win statement game over the Canadiens; Kreider scores twice
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
It’s been extremely tight in the Eastern Conference, and in a tight push the playoffs, the Rangers recognize how important these points are. John Giannone mentioned before the game that Stepan said the Rangers just want to enjoy the games and play them with passion. They did exactly that, winning big over the Canadiens by a final score of 5-2.
And on a night where both the Islanders and the Penguins picked up wins, tonight’s win was crucial. The Rangers remain four points ahead of Pittsburgh and five ahead of the Islanders.
Just three minutes and four seconds into the game, Keith Yandle recorded his 38th assist of the season as JT Miller gave his team the lead with the game’s opening goal. Derek Stepan took a hit to make a play, and was able to make the pass to Miller to send him flying up the ice. He put the puck on his backhand and slid it past Condon for his 21st goal of the season. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on the Montreal Canadiens with Raanta in net
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After securing two solid home-ice wins this week, the Rangers (42-24-8) are back on the road for one game, taking on the Montreal Canadiens (34-35-6) at the Bell Centre, one of the toughest stadiums to play in the NHL.
Most years, this would be a battle between two playoff teams. But the Canadiens have had to deal with injuries, a falling out between players and coaches and lackluster play, putting them in the midst of one of their worst seasons in recent history. Carey Price hasn’t played since November and that definitely hurt the Canadiens, but that injury shouldn’t affect the play of everyone else.
The Rangers are in a much better position than Montreal, winning their last two games and having the Penguins and Islanders lose on their off-days. Both teams have a single game in hand, and the Penguins and Islanders are four and five points behind the Rangers, respectively. With just eight games to go for the Blueshirts, every point is important. Read the rest of this entry
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