Nothing comes easy for the New York Rangers and while it
would be fun to have it all locked up nice and tight with two games to go it
just is not the way this franchise works.
It seems each year there is the late season dash for the playoffs and
they either just get in or just miss and this season is no different. With Carolina getting a huge two points off
the Detroit Red Wings last night the Rangers backs are against the wall again
as while they control their own destiny at this moment anything short of points
tonight will change that fact. The
combination of the Steven McDonald award before the game and the first game
following the loss of their leader and the desire to rally for Ryan Callahan
will being a level of emotion to the building that will be palpable. Throw in the playoff situation and Madison
Square Garden will be alive tonight I expect the Rangers to come out fighting.
With that as the backdrop for tonight’s game who better to
look to for the spark the Rangers need than the likely winner of the Steven
McDonald award, Brandon Prust. For me
Prust is the most qualified player to step into the roles Ryan Callahan plays
on this team in terms of the energy and tenacity of play. It is why he will be the one that unseats
Callahan as the McDonald winner. Expect
Prust to come out and make sure the team is ready early on, as he did against
Montreal when he fought Travis Moen one second into the game. The response from the crowd and the team that
night makes it likely that he puts in that extra effort again tonight, as he
has all year, to add to the juice that should already be flowing through the
building. It is what warriors do.
I highlight Prust and his ability to fight to spark the
team, but his contributions go far beyond just that aspect of the game. His ability to forecheck and cycle plays
right into the system that the Rangers seek to play and he combines that with
defensively responsible hockey, a willingness to hit, block shots and
tremendous penalty killing. Those are
things the team will be looking to maintain in their identity and Prust will
not let them forget it.
Early in the year the role for Prust was mainly as the
protector for all of his teammates when the opposition stepped out of line, but
that role has evolved into so much more on the ice. Tonight it will take all the roles Prust can
play in order to help the Rangers protect the playoff spot they have worked the
last 80 games to give themselves the chance to control. There has not been a challenge Prust has
backed down from all year, so expect tonight to be no different.
