rangers avalanche henrik lundqvist

Last night we were treated to a goalie clinic. Henrik Lundqvist and Semyon Varlamov put on the duel of the season thus far. Through regulation, Varlamov had made 35 saves and Hank 28 saves, the majority of them quite difficult saves. The NHL loves its high scoring games, but give me fast paced with great saves any day.

This was another instance of the Rangers playing a playoff team hard, and getting better results than we had expected. The Blueshirts got a ton of scoring chances, and while it’s easy to say they lack finishers, most of the forwards from last year are here this year. It’s just a string of some bad puck luck and great goaltending that did them in this game. Ideally they are able to take this game and know they can generate offense. Now about that defense…

Some positives before getting into the goal breakdown:

  • How about that Lundqvist?
  • The Rangers finally woke up offensively, getting a ton of real good chances. You take that in a stretch where the offense was inconsistent.
  • Both Brady Skjei and Brett Howden looked very good, leading breakouts and creating chances.
  • I didn’t like it at first, but I like Jesper Fast with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. He does the little things that creates open ice for them.
  • Neal Pionk naturally struggled against Nathan MacKinnon (who doesn’t?) but had an overall pretty solid game. He makes some great stretch passes.
  • I’m in the minority, but I love 3-on-3 OT. It doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s fun..
  • Henrik. Lundqvist.

On to the goals.

Rangers 1, Avs 0

This was a very good job by Kevin Shattenkirk to get the puck through on the powerplay. Say what you want about Shatty, he excels with getting pucks through to the net. With Chris Kreider in front for the deflection, Varlamov stood no chance.

Avs 1, Rangers 1

There isn’t really a breakdown defensively on this PK from the Rangers. The point man, Tyson Barrie, is left open, but he’s the least threatening player on the ice. He placed his shot well here, and it beat Hank through a sea of bodies.

Rangers 2, Avs 1

Another goal where I don’t see a real breakdown. If I’m the defense, I give Kevin Hayes that shot ten times out of ten. The issue here is that it’s a one-timer, so maybe getting a stick in the lane would have been better, and it’s across a wide distance of ice. Hayes absolutely blew it by Varlamov, top corner to boot.

We Don’t Deserve Hank

Wow.

Avs 2, Rangers 2

This was a nifty deflection in front, but Nathan MacKinnon was left all alone there. It was Staal who left his position in front to help Brendan Smith out. Smith couldn’t cover both, and Staal was puck watching. At the end of the play, Staal winds up at the faceoff dot near no one. Not the best coverage.

They certainly earned this one, and it was nice to see consistent offense and making their goalie work. They still play a fast paced game, at least in terms of shot attempts taken/allowed, so it was only a matter of time before we saw a track meet. All in all, it’s nice to see the Rangers get a pair of points in an exciting game.

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