Tuesday, 14 May 2013 06:35

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Article sponsored by Malandra’s Martial Arts

Following up on a gritty 1-0 victory on home ice in Game Six of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Washington Capitals on Sunday, the Rangers stared down playoff elimination again 24 hours later and defeated the Capitals 5-0 on the road at the Verizon Center Monday night in Game Seven. As such the Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins, who rallied past the Toronto Maple Leafs in their own Game Seven victory on Monday night.

It is the second year in a row that the Rangers won back-to-back elimination games in the first round of the playoffs after trailing the series 3-2. Last spring they ousted the Ottawa Senators after winning Game Six on the road and Game Seven at Madison Square Garden. But this year the Rangers were forced to win Game Six at home and then the seventh game on the road, doing so for the first time in franchise history. They had been 0-5 in playoff Game Sevens on the road prior to winning Monday night. The Rangers are now 6-5 all-time in post-season Game Sevens.

Henrik Lundqvist, who backstopped Sunday's must-win with a 27-save shutout, finished the series with back-to-back shutouts, the seventh and eighth of his post-season career. He made 35 saves on Monday night, closing out the series with 120 minutes of scoreless hockey after Mike Ribeiro's overtime goal in Game Five gave Washington a 3-2 series lead.

The Rangers received a huge lift from their gritty role players as Arron Asham, Taylor Pyatt, and Michael Del Zotto all scored goals, and Derek Dorsett, Steve Eminger, and Chris Kreider were among those who chipped in with assists. Ryan Callahan and Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Rangers while the team's top point producer in the series, Derick Brassard, extended his point-scoring streak to five straight games with two assists, giving him nine points (2-7-9) in the quarterfinals.

The home team had won each of the first six games in this series, and the Rangers had scored only two goals in total in the three previous games at the Verizon Center, but after Lundqvist made a huge save on a Mike Green break-in, Kreider sped the other way with the puck, dropping it perfectly to Asham who blasted a rising right-wing shot past Caps netminder Braden Holtby 13:19 into the first period to give the visitors a hugely important 1-0 lead.

The goal was Asham's second of the series, and was a reward for Lundqvist who was the best player on the ice in the opening 20 minutes stopping all 13 Capital shots as Washington came out with plenty of jump in this decisive Game Seven.

The Rangers turned the game decidedly in their favor early in the second period when Pyatt and Del Zotto scored goals two minutes ten seconds apart to provide the sharp Lundqvist with a rare three-goal cushion. Pyatt netted his first of the playoffs, potting the rebound of an Eminger shot from the right point at 3:24, mere seconds after Dorsett--a buzzsaw in Game Seven just as he was in Game Six---had his left wing shot ring off the crossbar.

Then at 5:34 Del Zotto's shot from the left  circle caromed past Holtby after hitting Troy Brouwer's skate in front. While the goal was a fortunate bounce, the effective forecheck and puck possession prior to the score was not. It was an example of just how hard the Rangers worked to earn this victory on Monday. Rick Nash and Brassard earned the assists on Del Zotto's first of the playoffs.

Lundqvist stopped all 13 shots he faced in the second period, and the Rangers came within inches of scoring two more goals before the period was out. Dorsett drove a shot through Holtby's pads, but the puck trickled just wide of the cage; and Derek Stepan snapped a shot off iron before the horn sounded, as well.

With the Capitals desperately seeking a strong start to the third period to get back into the game and save their season, Callahan took the life out of the building by scoring his first goal of the series just 13 seconds into the final period. Callahan stole the puck from Caps defenseman John Erskine at center ice, then broke in on right wing, beating Holtby with a gorgeous backhand finish for the unassisted goal.

Zuccarello made it 5-0 at 6:39 of the third period when he broke in alone on Holtby, and tucked a shot inside the left post for his first career post-season goal. Brassard sprung Zuccarello with a neat pass, as he and Eminger both earned their second assists on the night.

The Rangers did a phenomenal job shutting down Alex Ovechkin, the league's Rocket Richard Trophy winner with 32 regular-season goals. Ovechkin, who played an inspired physical Game Seven, was held without a point in the final five games of this series and totaled just one goal and one assist. Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh---who was cut on the face after a  monster hit by Ovechkin in the first period---performed heroically in holding Ovechkin off the scoresheet again on Monday night.

With their season on the line Monday night, the Rangers were credited with 41 hits and 27 blocked shots, turning in an impassioned effort in front of Lundqvist, who performed brilliantly in bringing the Rangers back from playoff extinction.

The Rangers and Bruins will open up their first playoff series against one another since 1973 on Thursday night in Boston, with Game Two scheduled in Boston for Sunday afternoon. Games Three and Four will be played at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday the 21st and Thursday the 23rd.

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Thursday, 09 May 2013 06:25

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Article sponsored by Hudson Valley Business Directory

What had been a best-of-seven playoff series heading in the wrong direction for the Rangers after they dropped the first two games to the Washington Capitals is now all even two games apiece and heading back to Washington as a best-of-three after the Rangers followed up Monday's 4-3 win with a Game Four 4-3 victory over the Caps Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Though they never trailed in the game---and imposed their physical and offensive wills throughout much of the night---the Rangers found it extremely difficult to put away a gutsy Washington squad. However third period goals by Dan Girardi and Derek Stepan snapped a 2-2 tie and helped the Rangers even up the series two games apiece.

Carl Hagelin starred for New York with a goal and two assists, while Derick Brassard---who now has five points in the last two games of this series---added a pair of helpers. Henrik Lundqvist finished with 27 saves for the Rangers, while Capitals goalie Braden Holtby stopped 30 shots despite allowing four goals for the second straight game in this series.

Tied 2-2, the Rangers started the third period on the power play after Jason Chimera took an interference penalty at the 20-minute mark of the second period. Head coach John Tortorella elected to go with his second power play unit, and it proved to be a wise decision as Brassard made a gorgeous move and pass to Girardi on left wing. Girardi proceeded to rip a slap shot short side on Holtby for his first goal of the series just 59 seconds into the third period, putting the Blueshirts ahead 3-2.

A little more than five minutes later Stepan finished a nifty give and go with Hagelin in front of Washington's goal crease to restore the Rangers two-goal lead. Stepan's second in as many games was shot into a wide open cage after his touch pass to Hagelin was quickly returned to the unchecked Stepan in front.

The Capitals did not quit trailing by two for the second time in the game, though, as Karl Alzner's wrist shot glanced off Mathieu Perrault in front and snuck just inside the right post at 7:31. But Lundqvist shut the Caps down the rest of the way---making a huge save to deny Nicklas Backstrom from the slot with five minutes to play and Joel Ward from in close a minute later.

Despite dominating most of the first 40 minutes of play, and taking a 2-0 lead along the way, the Rangers somehow found themselves tied after two periods with the opportunistic Capitals scoring twice in the final seven minutes of the middle period to pull even despite a 26-15 Rangers advantage in shots.

Brad Richards opened the scoring at 16:25 of the first period and Hagelin netted his second playoff goal 10:13 into the second period as the Rangers controlled play seemingly at will with a particularly physical brand of hockey and dogged determination to possess the puck. But Perrault slammed one into the back of the net from the side of the Blueshirts cage at 13:08, and Troy Brouwer tied the game with 17.1 seconds to play in the middle stanza when his rising backhand shot eluded Lundqvist.

Adding to the Rangers frustration was that mere seconds before Brouwer's tying score, Ryan Callahan rang a shot off the crossbar at the other end of the ice. And Brian Boyle complained bitterly that the puck had crossed the blueline right before Brouwer's goal, which would have meant Washington was offsides. The linesmen disagreed with Boyle and Brouwer's goal counted.

The Rangers could have added to their 1-0 lead late in the first period when their penalty killing unit had two prime scoring chances by Stepan, but failed to convert. However on the second shorthanded rush by Stepan, Washington was assessed two penalties---one to Alex Ovechkin for hooking, the other to Martin Erat for charging---as Stepan crashed heavily into the back boards. Handed a 5-on-4 power play which then turned into 1:34 of a 5-on-3 when Michael Del Zotto emerged from the Rangers penalty box, the Blueshirts frittered away a golden opportunity to break the game open---something which came back to haunt them when Washington eventually pulled even late in the second period.

Richards' first goal of the post-season came off a bizarre play in which Holtby was caught way out of his net after playing the puck at the bottom of the left circle. Holtby looked to clear the puck to his right, but Taylor Pyatt did an excellent job of flagging the puck down. Pyatt fired a shot towards the net as Holtby scrambled back, but the shot was blocked, at which point Hagelin slid the disc to Richards who zipped it into the back of the net for a 1-0 Rangers lead late in the first period.

Hagelin made it 2-0 by blasting a left circle shot off the rush past Holtby's gloved hand midway through the second period. Ryane Clowe---back in the lineup after missing four games with an undisclosed injury---slid a pass just inside the Caps zone to Brassard, who in turn made a perfect cross-ice pass to a streaking Hagelin on left wing to set up the score.

While Clowe returned to the Rangers lineup for this crucial---and physically punishing---Game Four, winger Darroll Powe was scratched after being hurt in the first period of Monday night's Game Three. On the other side of the puck, Washington's Erat suffered an upper body injury on the play in which he was penalized for charging Stepan.

Both teams did a solid job shutting down each other's superstar in Game Four. The Rangers hounded Ovechkin all night---even as he was double-shifted by coach Adam Oates---and limited him to only one shot on goal in nearly 24 minutes of ice-time. The Capitals in turn blanketed Rick Nash again as the Rangers top goal scorer was held off the scoresheet and held to two shots on goal in16:49 worth of ice time.

Stepan and Callahan each recorded six shots on goal for the Rangers, while Callahan was also credited with a team-high five hits.

Game Five of this series will take place at the Verizon Center on Friday night.

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