Rangers put their faith in Lundqvist
Goalie has history of big-game heroics
In Henrik they TARRYTOWN, N.Y. trust. Or make that in Hank they trust. “Every single time he comes to the rink, he has his focus, his ‘Hank’ going,” New York Rangers centre Derek Stepan said of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and his preparation. “You can tell that he’s ready and he’s got that look in his eye that he’s ready to compete.”
Backed into a corner by the Senators, down 3-2 in the series and facing elimination at Madison Square Garden Tuesday, the Rangers have faith that their 35-year-old goaltender will lead the way.
“It’s not so much about the game plan,” Lundqvist said.
“It’s going to come down to how you focus, how you manage your thoughts. And from there, you’re going to execute better.”
Lundqvist has had plenty of shaky moments in the opening five games of the series.
He allowed six goals on 34 shots in the Game 2 double-overtime loss. He allowed five goals on 37 shots in the Game 5 defeat.
But he also has a track record of coming up big in big games.
Facing elimination against the Senators in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2012, he pulled out victories in games 6 and 7 to eliminate Ottawa. Including that series, he is 15-5 in his past 20 games when facing elimination with a sparkling 1.74 goals-against average and .945 save percentage.
Even more impressively, he owns a 10-1 record, 1.05 goals-against average, .965 save percentage and two shutouts in his past 11 elimination games in New York.
“We need Hank to be Hank,” said Rangers coach Alain Vigneault.
In stark contrast to Senators coach Guy Boucher, who opted for an optional workout Monday, Vigneault put his team through a spirited 45-minute workout at their practice facility. A good portion of the practice was spent mimicking game-like conditions with a fast-paced scrimmage.
“We’re going to rely on our experience,” said Vigneault.
“With experience, you can see things evolving a little bit quicker. You can focus on the right things.”
With a bounce or two the other way, the Rangers would be up on the Senators or have even eliminated them altogether.
“At the end of the day, there’s no sense in even wasting a second thinking about that,” said Vigneault. “We’re going to be ready come puck drop.”