Lundqvist Making Late Push For Vezina Nomination?

The New York Rangers have now won five straight games and seven of eight and it is no surprise that one of the key factors in their yearly late season push to the playoffs is Henrik Lundqvist.  Lundqivst is now 7-1-0 with a 1.98 goals against average, .932 save percentage and two shutouts in the last eight games.  Overall that leaves Lundqvist at 32-24-4 with 2.31 goals against average and .922 save percentage while collecting a league leading 10 shutouts.  Are those numbers good enough to earn Lundqvist another nomination as a Vezina Finalist?

Goalie	Record	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GVT
Rinne	28-20-8	2.07	.930	6	3,308:19	29.3
Thomas	30-10-8	2.06	.937	7	2,939:39	34.1
Lundqvist	34-24-4	2.31	.922	10	3,539:03	24.9
Price	34-25-6	2.35	.922	8	3,822:18	26.1

For much of this season it has been seen as a lock that Tim Thomas was going to win the Vezina Trophy for the best goaltender in the National Hockey League.  However, Thomas has fallen off of late while others have risen and the race is looking a lot tighter now than before.  Thomas is still the likely frontrunner, but I would actually give the award to Rinne if I had to choose.  Either way they will likely go first and second in the Vezina race. 

The real race is for the spot as the third finalist between Henrik Lundqvist, Carey Price.  Lundqvist is beating Price in GAA, and shutouts while tied in save percentage and losing GVT while the two tied in SV%.  I would say at this point that Lundqvist has a slight edge on price, but it will all come down to the finish of the season.  If Lundqvist can keep up his recently play he will look in a nomination for the trophy as well as a long payoff run for the Rangers.

Rangers Collect Fifth Straight Win Behind Dubinsky Goal, Lundqvist Shutout

This was one of those classic trap games where the New York Rangers come in on a four game win streak, fighting for but gaining some cushion in the playoff race taking on a Florida Panthers team with absolutely nothing to lose.  I could sit here and try to dress this game up as a thrilling 1-0 game between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers, but if you saw it you would just be insulted.  Instead what we saw was basically a snooze fest that saw the Rangers dominate for portions of the game get absolutely no reward thanks to the work of Tomas Vokoun.  The good news is that the Rangers in the end got the job done with a 1-0 win over Florida and extended the winning streak to five games.

The Rangers would finally strike in the third when Brandon Dubinsky scored the lone goal of the game.  The play was made in part by Artem Anisimov making a great play in front with his skates to keep the pressure alive while Ryan Callahan worked his way into the play.  Callahan would then feed Dubinsky in front for the tap in to the empty net.

The rest of the action was for Henrik Lundqvist to dispose of the twenty two shots the Panthers threw his way in order to collect his league leading tenth shutout of the season.  It is the stretch run and once again Lundqvist is carrying this team to the brink of the playoffs.

• Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan is the Rangers top line whether you want to call them that or not. They are the engine that runs this team and when they produce this team is hard to beat
• Wolski was awful tonight and I would expect Avery to get a chance to play either against Ottawa or Boston.
• Steve Eminger was excellent tonight in filling in for Marc Staal.

Staal To Sit Again, Time To Worry About How Serious His Injury Is?

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I do not want to hit the panic button in terms of any injury, but it is starting to feel necessary when it comes to Marc Staal and his undisclosed injury that will keep him out for the second straight game tonight.  Rangers’ coach John Tortorella is refusing to reveal the nature of the injury which is the smart move in terms of preventing Staal from being targeted when he returns to the lineup, but you have to wonder how soon that will be and at what level he will return.

The general assumption even if not officially disclosed is that the injury for Staal is related his prior knee injury which he suffered against Carolina a month ago and caused him to miss three games at the time.  If he has re-aggravated the knee then things could be relatively serious in terms of his effectiveness down the stretch and in the playoffs.  It also makes you wonder at just how serious the first injury was when he probably pushed himself to come back sooner than he should have and once again question the sheer number of minutes he has been logging this year.

If this is injury is something that causes Staal to miss significant time, is going to linger or becomes something that forces him think on the ice about how it is going to react those are bad things for the Rangers in crunch time.  For now day-to-day is ok, but until he starts at least skating again I will have my finger near the panic button because if the Rangers are going to have a chance they need 18 back there patrolling the blue line and smashing down the opposing team’s top offensive players.

Marian Gaborik Finding Consistent Form At The Perfect Time

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The New York Rangers are making their annual late season charge on the playoffs and one of the key reasons for their recent success has been their sniper Marian Gaborik finding his form.  For much of this season Gaborik has either exploded for huge performances or been virtually invisible, but over the past two weeks he has found his game more consistently and it is paying huge dividends for New York.  Gaborik is currently on a five game point streak in which he has five goals and one assist.  He is currently on his first three game goal streak of the season which is difficult to believe given how prolific he was in netting 42 goals last year.  This streak comes on the heels of only 2 goals in 14 games.

The main difference for Gaborik has been his willingness to skate and how many other things in his game it opens up.  Of those five goals two have come from in front of the net, one he found in the slot and the other two came off the rush.  The variety of goal scoring plays also bodes well for Gaborik as he is doing it in multiple ways and adding confidence to all parts of his game.  Two weeks earlier he like fails to score at least three of those goals either from a lack of confidence in his shot or his failure to be in some of those areas. 

As important as the sheer number of goals or points has been the times at which he has been getting them recently.  In the past three games he has two game winning goals in and arguably his biggest goal of the season Sunday against the Penguins to tie the game and start the Rangers rally.  These are the kinds of plays the Rangers need form Gaborik in this stretch drive and if they have hopes of advancing in the playoffs.  He does not have to be a great player for the entire night, but he does have to be a threat and cash in with those big goals to propel this team.

More than the goal scoring itself the problem for Gaborik has been his lack of consistent threat to the opposition.  When is going like he is right now it forces everyone on the opposing team to account and gameplan for how to stop him.  If he can produce in the face of that it is tremendous for the team, but even if he cannot it allows everyone else on the team to either have more space on the ice with him or weaker competition against them. 

What his production also does is alleviate the pressure from players who are better suited to be secondary options in the scoring department to go back to their normal roles without the pressure of having to carry the offense.  The ability to put the puck in the net is certainly about skill, but it is also about confidence and when your best offensive player has his confidence, or even a swagger back to his game it filters throughout the lineup and everyone gets in on the act. The consistency of results has also allowed coach John Tortorella to leaves lines together and that is an understated factor in the Rangers' recent success.

Other players have stepped up this season whether it be Callahan, Dubinsky, Boyle, Stepan, and Anisimov as all could end up with 20+ goals, but the Rangers offensive force has to be Marian Gaborik if they are going to succeed in the playoffs and luckily he is finding his form at the best possible time.

NHL Gets It Right? Matt Cooke Suspended Rest of Regular Season, First Round of Playoffs

The National Hockey League today held a disciplinary hearing for forward Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins following yesterday’s elbow to the head of Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh (video of the hit).  After hours of waiting for the decision Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet reported that the NHL suspended Cooke for the last 10 games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs for his cheapshot.

From the NHL statement:

"Mr. Cooke, a repeat offender, directly and unnecessarily targeted the head of an opponent who was in an unsuspecting and vulnerable position," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "This isn't the first time this season that we have had to address dangerous behavior on the ice by Mr. Cooke, and his conduct requires an appropriately harsh response."

This is the kind of punishment that the NHL needed to give in order to send a message that they were serious about eliminating headshots, preventing concussions and dealing with repeat offenders.  I have been critical before of the inconsistency and at some points lack of stiff punishment by the NHL, but this one is right on the money.  You cannot argue that a suspension of a minimum of 14 and maximum of 17 games is too lenient for the league and will be equally as tough for the Penguins to claim that it is too harsh a penalty especially given the outspoken response of Penguins owner Mario Lemieux earlier this season.

What a punishment like this also does is it costs the Penguins as well because they are hurt for the stretch run and into the playoffs with a player who has been important to their team.  Until the team’s really are hurt in the standings and the wallet by this kind of behavior it will not end.

Rangers Third Period Rally Sparked By Cooke Elbow, Extend Winning Streak To Four

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There is something about the third period in Pittsburgh that really works for the New York Rangers this season.  After playing one mediocre and one awful period the team had a furious final 11 minutes in which they turned a 2-1 deficit into a huge 5-2 victory.  The turning point of the game was clearly Matt Cooke’s vicious elbow to the head of Ryan McDonagh(video) at 4:36 of the third.  Cooke was assessed a five minute major and given a game misconduct for the hit.  I expect he will get a lengthy suspension of 7-10 games as well if the league really wants to send a message about getting these hits out of the game.

Following the elbow by Cooke the Penguins would actually gain the initial momentum when Chris Kunitz scored a shorthanded goal beating Henrik Lundqvist on a perfect shot far side, top corner.  The Rangers who were struggling to get anything going got more help from Pittsburgh when Matt Niskanen was called for a double minor as he high-sticked Ryan Callahan across the nose and drew blood.

Late in the 5-on-3 advantage the Rangers tied the game as a Bryan McCabe drive led to a rebound which Marian Gaborik put home at 9:28 of the period.  It was the first thing Gaborik did all day and easily his most important goal this season.  Ryan Callahan struck just 11 seconds later from a bad angle to give the Rangers a lead they would not relinquish. 

Derek Stepan would add a rebound goal to seal the game with 1:15 left and then Brandon Dubinsky capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 40 seconds to go to make it 5-2.

This was a huge win for the Rangers and their third character building triumph in Pittsburgh this season.  The team is now on a season high four game win streak, three points back of sixth place Montreal and six points clear of Carolina in the playoff race. 

The Rangers had a slow start in the first period, but they would tally the first goal just over midway through the when Artem Anisimov converted a beautiful feed from Ryan Callahan at 11:20.  Dubinsky with excellent work behind the net eventually worked the puck to Callahan and his saucer pass found Anisimov in front of the net for the finish.

The lead would not last long as Jordan Staal tied the game up at 14:59 on a breakaway goal.  Dan Girardi with a horrible read on the play as he got caught stepping on Alex Kovalev in the neutral zone assuming the pass, which left him trapped too far inside and Staal with tons of room.

You had to expect that the Penguins were going to take every chance to crash the crease considering the questions about Henrik Lundqvist’s neck and Max Talbot certainly made that happen late in the first.  Talbot clearly ran Lundqvist and Ryan Callahan took exception and tossed Talbot to the ice.  Only Callahan was assessed a penalty which rightfully incensed coach John Tortorella.

The second period was an embarrassing effort by the Rangers and if not for the stellar work of Henrik Lundqvist the game would have been over.

• Henrik Lundqvist’s performance today cannot be understated regardless of the neck issues he was having before the game.  He single-handedly kept this team in the game and gave them a chance for that rally.
• With each game the love for Michael Sauer grows stronger as he will do whatever it takes to help this team and his willingness to defend his goalie is something the rest of this team needs to learn from.
• Ryan Callahan needs to be cut more often because each time he sees his own blood he seems to score a goal, so we have to work that into future gameplans.

Video: Cooke Strikes Again With Elbow To McDonagh's Head; NHL Must Punish Severely To Send Message

If the NHL is truly serious about eliminating head shots and dirty play from the game then they will throw the book at Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins for his intentional elbow to the head of Ryan McDonagh early in today’s third period.  Cooke was assessed a five minute major and game misconduct on the play and likely cost his team the game, but the league must step in and do so in a forceful manner.

Here's the video:


Just a month ago Cooke was suspended four games for his hit from behind on Fedor Tyutin and combining the actions today with his repeat offender status the suspension here should be more severe than that.  Cooke deserves to get 7-10 games for his actions, but will the NHL actually put their money where their mouth is in terms of this kind of play?

Lineup News: Lundqvist Starts, Staal Out With "Body Injury"

As the New York Rangers get set to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins this afternoon all eyes were on whether star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist would be in net following his collision with Benoit Pouliot late in Friday’s third period against Montreal.  The good news is that Lundqvist has apparently recovered sufficiently from his stiff neck to play today. 

The bad and surprising news according to Jesse Spector is that Marc Staal will be out of the lineup with a “body injury.”  There were no details on the severity of the injury, timetable for return or obviously the location of the injury.  The reason for the secrecy according to coach John Tortorella is because with the playoffs approaching he does not want opponents to target whatever injured area when he returns to the lineup.

With Staal out Steve Eminger moves up to play with Dan Girardi while Matt Gilroy gets back into the lineup.  The fact that Tortorella did not split of McDonagh and Sauer with this injury is a testimony to how well those two rookies have played both individually and collectively.

Video: Niklas Kronwall Sweeps Hobbled Eaves to Bench During Wings PK

The Detroit Red Wings are perennial contenders for the Stanley Cup for a reason.  In addition to the pure talent they put on the ice the level of hockey sense they play the game with makes a difference.  Saturday defenseman Niklas Kronwall put that on display when teammate Patrick Eaves was down on the ice after having blocked a Shea Weber blast with his left leg.  With Detroit down two men Kronwall knew how vital it was to get Eaves to the bench for a new skater and so he began using his stick to sweep Eaves to the bench.

Henrik Lundqvist Should Sit Against Penguins

That Henrik Lundqvist missed practice today should surprise no one after the collision he had last night with Benoit Pouliot late in the game.  The injury to Lundqvist does not appear to be serious and is mainly said to be a stiff neck which is very good news.  While Henrik has a desire to play tomorrow as related by the  Rangers' official twitter account there is no reason for him to suit up tomorrow. 

"I am getting ready to play, that's still my goal, but we'll see how it feels later..."

"It's just pain, nothing that can get worse..still very stiff, but had some treatment & will have whole afternoon 2 take it easy"

"my neck is still stiff, and I have a tough time moving my head...but the treatment has really helped...I'm getting there"

Yes, the Rangers are still in a huge playoff race and Buffalo’s win tonight makes it even tighter, but with a four point lead on Carolina the first goal should be having Lundqvist healthy for as many games as possible not just playing him tomorrow. 

Beyond just the thought of more seriously injuring the neck by pushing it there is the concern that if he has any stiffness in the neck it limits his ability to turn his head, which unfortunately is a required aspect of playing goaltender in the NHL.  As valuable an asset as Henrik is, and as crucial as he is to any playoff hopes. you exercise as much caution as possible and let him sit until Tuesday.  Chad Johnson, while no Lundqvist, showed last season he can be a capable spot starter so trust him to take the game and do his job.