From role player to hero
Carl Hagelin, whose goal ousted Penguins, finds his scoring touch for Rangers
For NHL teams, getting strong play throughout the lineup is essential for an extended playoff run.
“You can’t go anywhere in this league if you don’t have depth,” New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “You are going to get some players banged up now and then. You are going to need some guys to step in and play important minutes and find ways to contribute.”
The Rangers’ depth has probably been their biggest asset over the past two seasons. And Vigneault said it was no accident that the club had won at least one playoff round every year since left wing Carl Hagelin joined the Rangers during the 2011-12 season.
“Playoff hockey, his speed really tests the opposition,” Vigneault said of Hagelin. “He does it at the right time.”
Hagelin scored two goals in the Rangers’ five-game series win against the Penguins, including the series winner in overtime of Game 5 Friday night. He also aided a Rangers penalty-killing unit that limited the Penguins to two goals on 16 power-play chances in the series.
Paired with Dominic Moore for much of the season, Hagelin was a big part of the Rangers’ penalty-killing unit, which ranked sixth in the league in 201415.
“We really enjoy working together and reading and reacting together,” Moore said. “Both of us have similar mentalities on the ice, be aggressive and play with speed. He’s been a big part of this team the last two years, especially. He’s continuing to show what he can do.”
Hagelin has always been an elite penalty-killer; he has scored more goals short-handed (three) than on the power play (two) in his career. He uses a combination of speed and tenacity to block shots and make plays in the defensive zone.
But offense does not come naturally to Hagelin, who has been inconsistent. At times he lacks the poise to be an offensive star, relying on his speed and shot to score, as he did in Game 3 against the Penguins. Hagelin registered 38 points in 64 games as a rookie, but he has not reached that level since, even though he played in every game this season and 72 games in 201314.
During the 2013 postseason, John Tortorella, then the Rangers coach, said Hagelin “stinks” and called him “a jitterbug” on the power play.
Hagelin, part of the Rangers’ top line in the 2012 postseason, has dropped to the third line with Kevin Hayes and Martin St. Louis this year.
But Hagelin’s postseason contributions have made up for his lack of regularseason offense. He leads the Rangers in playoff goals (12) since the start of the 2013 postseason. Although their roster has turned over somewhat since then, the Rangers still have skilled forwards in Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider.
In last season’s run to the Stanley Cup finals, Hagelin scored seven goals, trailing only St. Louis for the team lead. Hagelin is tied for second on the team in goals this postseason, trailing only Brassard, who has three.
“Playoffs have always been the most fun part of the year,” Hagelin said. “And I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the playoffs every year since I’ve been here.
“So I just try to embrace it and do what I can to help the team.”
Hagelin, 26, says he has become more even-keeled as he has grown up.
“I think just consistency, realizing you have to bring it every night and also that you can’t get too down on yourself,” Hagelin said before Game 5. “You might have a bad shift here and there, but you’ve got to think about the long run. You’ve got to think about all it takes is one really good shift to be a hero.”
He proved that Friday night. After Moore pushed the puck to him behind the goal, Hagelin curled to the faceoff dot and ripped a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury for the series clincher at 10:52 of the extra session — his first overtime playoff goal.
Still a bit raw in his 6foot, 186-pound frame, Hagelin lost an edge upon releasing the shot and fell. After the game, he said he did not remember the play.
“It’s just goose bumps,” Hagelin said of scoring the goal, adding that it was “one of the happiest moments of my life.”
With the loss of Zuccarello to an apparent upperbody injury — the team said Friday night that he was being evaluated — and tougher opposition looming, the Rangers’ depth will continue to be tested.
But as Hagelin grows into a more calm offensive player, the club knows it can count on him to continue to produce.
“Hags is so effective in everything he does,” Stepan said.
“Five-on-five, he’s smart defensively; a good two-way winger.
“The other way is what’s underrated about his game. Offensively, he’s very skilled.”