So this is life without Henrik Lundqvist.
The Rangers found out on Wednesday night just how tough things can be when you don't have one of the best goalies in the world to bail out defensive mistakes. And yet they continued to find a way to overcome some early mistakes, taking a tight 3-2 win over the Bruins at the Garden.
Lundqvist was sidelined with what the Rangers were calling a "neck injury," one related to the puck he took in the throat on Saturday on a shot from the Hurricanes Brad Malone. The closest things they had to an update was labeling him as "day-to-day," although that seemed optimistic.
The injury allowed Cam Talbot to get his 10th start of the season, his first since Jan. 15 up in Boston. Talbot didn't see a ton of work through the first two periods, but made all the requisite saves coming down the stretch and at least quieted the panic for one night.
"After starting his season with, I would say, [what was] an average start, he came through with three shutouts in a row, and has given us a chance in every game he has been in goal since," Vigneault said on Wednesday morning about Talbot, who entered with a 4-4-1 record, a 2.15 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. "We're very confident when Cam's in goal. He's a hard-working young man and I'm sure he's going to be fine."
Fine is a relative term, as Lundqvist had been the Rangers best player for almost two months. He was the catalyst for the 16-3-0 run that lead them into the All-Star break, and the 32-year-old was excellent in all four games coming out of the break, during with the Rangers (30-15-4) had gone 2-2 heading into this matchup with the red-hot Bruins (26-17-7), who were 8-1-1 in their past 10.
But for all the Bruins tried to make a charge in the third period, the Rangers tightened things up and took their third straight win.
"This is down the stretch, teams are improving," captain Ryan McDonagh said. "We have to consistently find ways to create scoring chances, consistently finds ways to defend better in units of five and make plays in our own end."
The Blueshirts battled back in the second period, showing some more jump and making better decisions with the puck. With 6:41 gone by, Derick Brassard tied it, 2-2, on a laser wrist shot from the slot after a nice feed from Chris Kreider. With just over three minutes remaining in the period, Derek Stepan took a neat little pass from Rick Nash and put one passed Tuukka Rask's glove for the 3-2 lead the Rangers would take into the third.
"Both teams defend well," is how Vigneault evaluated the matchup. "I think we probably try to play a little faster game, that's our strength."
Talbot didn't get off to the best start, allowing two goals on five shots in the first period and watching as Rick Nash's breakaway goal 5:50 in, his league-leading 32nd of the season, get quickly forgotten. Yet Talbot was hardly to blame him for either, as the first came at 13:37 after Ryan McDonagh lost a battle in the corner, and the puck ended up on the stick of Milan Lucic, wide open in the slot, where he buried one over Talbot's right shoulder, tying it, 1-1.
Just under two minutes later, Martin St. Louis streaked down the ice and turned the puck over quickly instead of taking a hit form the monstrous Zdeno Chara. The Bruins took it on a 3-on-3 break the other way, as Loui Ericksson found Patric Bergeron with an unimpeded lane to the net and an easy redirection for a 2-1 lead they would bring into the second.
Those two plays, not so much a condemnation of Talbot, put the Rangers in a hole.
"The Bruins play a real smart, intense hockey game," Vigneault had said. "They win battles on the walls, they win net-front battles in the oppositions end and in their own end. They make it real hard to go to those tough areas. So you have to be willing to pay a price."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Lundqvist-less Rangers do just enough to stave off Bruins
Dengan url
http://bahayaprostat.blogspot.com/2015/02/lundqvist-less-rangers-do-just-enough.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Lundqvist-less Rangers do just enough to stave off Bruins
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Lundqvist-less Rangers do just enough to stave off Bruins
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar