Do. Not. Touch.

Do. Not. Touch.

For the first time in 20 years, the New York Rangers will play for the Stanley Cup. Coincidentally, for the first time in 20 years, the Rangers won a series in less than 7 games. The Hockey Gods smiled upon Dominic Moore, as he took a brilliant feed from Brian Boyle midway through the second period for the game’s only goal. Moore, the team’s nominee and a finalist for the Masterton trophy, has obviously had some hard times the past few year’s, but he was all smiles today with the Broadway Hat on his head.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 18 shots the Canadiens threw at him, including the save of the playoffs on a Thomas Vanek pass that was deflected by Dan Girardi. Hank dropped his stick and swiped his blocker up in one motion, keeping the puck out of the net and the score tied. Dustin Tokarski, who was far from the reason the Habs lost this series, was stellar, stopping 31 Ranger shots. If not for Tokarski, this game wasn’t even close to nerve-wrenching.

On to the goal:

Rangers 1, Canadiens 0

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We preached it all year: The Rangers depth was a tremendous asset, and it came through when they needed it most. Derek Dorsett worked the boards low, and Ryan McDonagh made a brilliant pinch to keep the play alive behind the net. McDonagh moved it to Boyle on the opposite side behind the net while Moore crept to the slot. Max Pacioretty was watching the point man as Moore crept in, and Francis Boullion tried to block the pass instead of taking the man. Boyle fed Moore, and the rest is history.

The Save, Part II

This was unreal. Mike Richter will always have “The Save,” but this is “The Save, Part II.”

Fenwick Chart:

Courtesy of ExtraSkater

Courtesy of ExtraSkater

Absolute Ranger domination. This wasn’t an offensive explosion by any means, it was a defensive massacre by the good guys. The Habs managed just 26 total shot attempts for the entire game. At even strength, it was just 18. At 5v5 close, just 14. The Rangers held a minimum 60% Fenwick advantage in all these situations. This was stifling defense and stellar goaltending at its finest.

On May 29, 2013, the Rangers fired coach John Tortorella. Exactly one year later, on May 29, 2014, the Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years. With five days off until Game One of the Finals, we have time to enjoy this.

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