The New York Rangers are returning to the NHL Playoffs for the 4th consecutive year.
That in itself is a relief to say... Or type. But it feels even better when said out loud.
After 8 years of non-playoff hockey on Broadway, pardon me for feeling a little.. well.. content about being able to watch this team play in the second season once again.
Looking back on the regular season, and the illustrious peaks and demoralizing valleys that it brought, the fact is that in the end- it's all about getting into the top 8. Breeze, sneak, waltz, cheat, scratch, claw, stumble- it doesn't matter how you get there so long as you get there.
Why? Because anything can happen come playoff time. Regardless of where you sit in the beginning of the tournament, in order to hoist Stanley's Mug- you're going to have to go to war.
To BE the man, WOOOOO, you gotta BEAT the man. (said 1700 time WWF Champion Rick Flair)
This isn't the NCAA tournament. Top seeds are routinely upended by lower seeds (see Detroit 2002, St. Louis 1990's, San Jose ALWAYS). You cannot get "lucky" and win an NHL playoff series. You must out-play your opponent, out-LEARN your opponent, and out-win your opponent in 4 out of 7 games, otherwise your season is over. There aren't any flukes here, all these teams are elite. Seeding is overrated.
The Rangers worked hard to earn their spot in the last month of the season. Their reward? A first round match-up against the Washington Alexander Ovechkins. The Rangers went 1-2-1 against the Caps this season, with their one win coming in the shootout (no way). Having said that, the Rangers are yet to play against Washington with Torts behind the bench, or Antropov, Morris and Avery in the lineup.
Lets take a look at how the two teams match up, and investigate some keys to this series for each team.
FORWARDS
Washington:
Ovechkin (110) - Backstrom (88)- Kozlov (41)
Semin (79)- Federov (33)- Laich (53)
Fleischmann (37)- Nylander (33)- Eric Fehr (25)
Brashear (4)- Steckel (19)- Bradley (11)
-Newsflash: Washington can score goals. A lot of them. In fact the NHL's best player, Alex Ovechkin's 56 goals nearly topped the Rangers total points leader (AO also added 54 assists. He's good at this game). Backstrom and Semin each finished in the top 20 in scoring in the league as well (D-man Mike Green finished 30th). The Caps are a run-and-gun team, and will look to simply overwhelm the Ranger's with speed and quick puck movement all over the ice.
New York:
Avery (22) - Gomez (58)- Antropov (59)
Zherdev (58)- Drury (56)- Callahan (40)
Korpikoski (14)- Dubinsky (41)- Naslund (46)
Sjostrom (13)- Betts (10)- Orr (5)
-The Rangers didn't have a skater record over 30 goals OR 60 points. The players expected to shoulder the offensive load (I.E. Gomez, Zherdev, Drury, Naslund) have been redonkulously inconsistent all season long. Deadline pickup Nik Antropov has been somewhat helpful with 7 goals and 13 points in 18 games as a Ranger. The Blueshirts have increased their goal scoring since John Tortorella took over behind the bench with his more aggressive style. However, they remain far from an offensive force. NYR forwards rely on their forecheck and their grit in order to create turnovers and chances offensively.
Advantage: Washington. By A Lot.
-I know this will come as a shock, but the Rangers do not score a whole lot of goals. If they want to win this series, they will need to. Gomez must return to last year's playoff form. Drury must be healthy and find his clutchness. Zherdev has to find his game. Callahan and Dubinsky must contribute consistently. Most importantly, Sean Avery must be... Sean Avery. Washington isn't a trapping/systems team. They can be attacked, and they can be beaten. Puck possession and limiting O-zone turnovers will be key.
DEFENSEMEN
Washington:
Green (73) - Morrisonn
Pothier - Erskine
Jurcina - Schultz
Poti (Questionable for the series. Sucks really badly.)
-After Mike Green's 73 points (31 goals), the Washington defenseman with the most amount of points is MILAN JURCINA with 14 (3 goals). Jesus Christ. Well, the truth is the Green does enough scoring for all of them- especially on the Power Play (18 goals). Morrisonn and Pothier are solid, but unspectacular, and the rest of the gang are average NHLers working hard to hold the fort down in front of Jose Theodore. It's all about Green on the blueline, but even he is merely a GOOD defensive backliner. Oh yeah, Tom Poti sucks.
New York:
Redden (26) - Morris (30)
Staal - Rozsival
Girardi - Mara
- The Rangers, under Tom Renney, were known as a defensive squad. Under John Tortorella, though they are more aggressive and offensive, they are STILL a defensive squad. Wade Redden has been brutal all season. So much so that he has made people forget about how horrible the deal given to Rozsival will be for the next 4 years. Marc Staal, the Ranger's best d-man, was the only one of the group not to score more than 20 points this season. Paul Mara leads this defensive unit, who are a smart, mostly solid, but soft group.
Advantage: Rangers
- The Blueshirts didn't make the playoffs while scoring the least amount of goals of all the playoff teams for no reason. They don't give them up at a horrible pace either (mostly because of that Swedish guy, but I'll get to him in a few). To win this series, the Rangers will need some great play from their Blueliners. First of all, Torts MUST match Staal and Girardi against AO at ALL TIMES. And for the love of God do not let Redden/Morris NEAR the ice when Ovie is out there. Staal is the only one of the group who can "handle" #8 physically, and ideally hold him to one goal a game. The D held Ovechkin to 5 points in the 4 games the teams played against one another this season (which is a good thing). The will have to do it again.
GOALTENDERS
Washington:
Jose Theodore - (32-17-5), 2.87 GAA, .900 SV%, 2 SO
- The former Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP has had a very weird career. He starred in Montreal, where he won the Hart. Then he forgot how to stop the puck, was beaten like a tied up goat, and traded to Colorado where he backed up PETER freakin' BUDAJ. He signed with Washington in the offseason and won the starting job, and he put up decent, but certainly not convincing, numbers this year (W/L are good, GAA and SV% leave something to be desired). In his playoff career, Theodore is only 19-24, with a 2.68 GAA for Montreal and Colorado. His playoff records in the minors and junior leagues are not great, either. He is not a goalie who can steal a series, but he is certainly capable of taking over a game if the Rangers (and Avery) make his life easy.
New York:
Henrik Lundqvist - (38-25-7), 2.43 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO
- The King is the backbone, the heart, and the soul of this Ranger team. Regardless of how futile the product in front of him, Hank gives New York a chance to win each and every time he straps on the pads. He has stood on his head numerous times this season in order to steal his team some points in the standings, and I expect no less than that in this series. The Swede is known for his clutch performances, which include a couple of Swedish Elite League Championships, A gold medal at the Olympics, and a great series against the Devils in last years opening round (penalty shot anyone?). Lundqvist is only 11-12 in the NHL playoffs, but that also includes the forgettable sweep at the hands of the Devils in '05-'06. He is arguably the league's best goaltender, but undoubtedly The King.
Advantage: Rangers. Via Shutout.
- While I would consider the Rangers an underdog in this series, the matchup of Lundqvist vs Theodore gives the Blueshirts a gi-normous advantage in this series. If he plays to his full potential, Henrik can steal 4 games in this series. Having said that, even at his best he will need SOME help containing the high octane attack of the Capitals.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Washington:
Power Play- 25.2% (2nd Overall)
Penalty Kill- 80.6% (17th Overall)
- The Capitals' Power Play Unit (PPG): Ovechkin (19), Backstrom (14), Semin (8), Green (18), Laich (9). Wow. You almost expect them to score every time they go out there. 1-out-of-4 sure as hell ain't bad. Who needs a PK when you have a Power Play like that?
New York:
Power Play- 13.9% (29th Overall)
Penalty Kill- 87.8% (1st Overall)
- The Power Play sucks, and it has all season. It has cost the Blueshirts numerous games and golden chances this season, not to mention the 14 ShortHanded goals allowed. The ghost of Perry Pearn haunts this team with the man-advantage, which has clearly been no-advantage. Drury (10), Antropov (8, mostly with Toronto), Naslund (8) , and Zherdev (4) are NYR's PPG leaders.
The Penalty Kill, on the other hand, has WON several games for New York this season. Betts, Sjo, Callahan, Drury, The Defense have been exceptional at killing off penalty after penalty. It doesn't hurt having that Lundqvist guy in net, either.
NOTE: Barry Melrose stated on ESPN something along the lines of "well yeah the Rangers have the #2 PK in the league, but they haven't been facing Washington's PP all season long." Yeah Barry. But they did have Philly, the Pens, and the Devils 6 times each. Washington's PP got to beat up on Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Shut that mullet up.
Advantage: Capitals, very slightly.
- The Capital's PP and PK average out better than the Rangers'. It's as simple as that. However, the Rangers PP, when they do score goals, do it in bunches. If they can manage to click at the right time (NOW), then it can play a big part in providing the Rangers with goals that they will sorely need each game. Still, the REAL matchup of Special Teams in this series will be the Rangers PK against the Washington PP. The winner of that battle may win the war of the first round.
OTHER VARIABLES
Head Coach:
Washington- Bruce Boudreau
New York- John Tortorella
Advantage: Even. I like Torts better, but Boudreau has been with his team longer.
Home Rink/Crowd:
Washington- Verizon Center
New York- Madison Square Garden
Advantage: Rangers. Come on.
Cup Experience:
Washington- Sergei Federov (3)
New York- Scott Gomez (2), Chris Drury (1)
Advantage: Even.
Media Attention:
Washington- Has Ovechkin. Advantage on NBC, VS telecasts.
New York- Big Market, international following
Advantage: Washington. Commissioner Bettman is drooling at the thought of a Crysby-Ovechkin matchup.
- Most columnists, bloggers, and "experts" are counting the Rangers out of this series. They believe that the Rangers won't be able to keep up with the torrid Washington attack, and that their offensive struggles will leave them on the short end of the stick. The Capitals are good, but they aren't THAT good. The Rangers, despite the unfavorable results, clearly played right with Washington in their season series, having lost 1-3, 5-4 (OT), 1-2, and winning 5-4. The Blueshirts have been able to both hold the Caps down AND score with them this season. With Tortorella's new system in place, the Rangers are a better team now then they were when they last played AO & Co. This series will boil down to Special Teams, puck possession, and Henrik Lundqvist. If the Rangers are undisciplined, and Lundqvist is mortal, they will be golfing early this year.
Prediction: Rangers in 7
-Rif
