April 29, 2009, Carolina Hurricanes-New Jersey Devils Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 7 game story for Metro NY Newspaper

US – Wednesday, April 29

Brian Rolston and the Devils choked away a 3-2 series lead.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Wiped out

Hurricanes score 2 late goals to oust Devils

NHL.

The Devils had been 1:20 away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2007. They were 1:20 away from a date with Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. And they had 1:20 to play with the all-time career leader in wins protecting their net.

A body blow and a knockout shot 80 seconds later, the lasting image of the 2008-09 New Jersey Devils season was Zach Parise, bent over at his stall, heartbreak etched on his bloodied face.

A season that started with Stanley Cup hopes ended with questions about what might have been last night at the Prudential Center, and what the future holds for the professional sports organization that is the standard bearer in the Metro area.

The Devils' 4-3 Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes was as stunning as it was sudden. In a 49-second span, Martin Brodeur allowed the game-tying and series-winning goals. Brodeur stopped 27-of-31 shots last night and fell to 5-4 in Game 7's

“Marty played exceptional,” a clearly demoralized Brent Sutter said after the game.

Carolina tied the game at 18:40 when Jussi Jokinen one-timed a Joni Pitkanen pass past Martin Brodeur. Before the PA could finish announcing Jokinen’s game-tying goal, Eric Staal came down the wing and whipped a wrist from the boards that beat Brodeur stick side. Staal’s series-winner came from the same exact spot as Tuomo Ruutu’s game opening goal 62 seconds into the first. Ray Whitney scored Carolina’s other goal. The Devils’ goal scorers were Jamie Langenbrunner, Jay Pandolfo and Brian Rolston.

“The last three minutes, it was our execution. Not even the last three minutes. It was the last 1:20,” Sutter said. “They were able to tie the game. There were some (bad) decisions made in the neutral zone. On the last goal, they were able to come through the neutral zone with speed, which is something we were able to contain all night.”

Who the Devils weren’t able to contain was Eric Staal—at least in Games 6 and 7. After limiting Carolina’s star to two goals in the first five games, Staal exploded for three goals, two assists and five points in the last two games. In Game 6, Staal scored twice and assisted on a Ray Whitney goal. In The Rock last night, Staal assisted on Whitney’s goal—which tied the game at two early in the second period—along with his clinching goal.

“Full marks to Carolina,” Sutter said.

The Hurricanes will play top-seeded Boston starting Friday night. The Bruins won all four regular season matchups by an aggregate 18-6. However, all four games were played prior to the trade deadline. Erik Cole, who the Bruins were rumored to be heavily interested in acquiring, may play a key role in the series. More than anything, the Hurricanes are glad to have finished with the Devils.

“Yeah, we’re real excited we’re going to Boston. I got the job December 4, and this is the 11^th time we’ve played this team (the Devils) in the past four months. I’m really hoping we don’t schedule an exhibition here,” Paul Maurice said. “We hope we’re a different team than the first two times we played them. They were very good games. The last two times they won. They’ve got the same system with maybe more speed, a little more counter-attack and a little more puck control.”

Control is one thing the Devils won’t have as changes will be made this summer. The league’s third oldest team on average has nine unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents, including Travis Zajac who is arbitration eligible. With room under the cap, the Devils could be in the market for another scorer (Calgary sniper Mike Cammalleri) or a physical defenseman (Long Island native Mike Komisarek).

Three things we saw last night:

[1] Devils Staaled. The Devils seemed destined for the second round, carrying a 3-2 lead late in the third period. The game was tied with less than two minutes remaining. Then it
wasn't. Jussi Jokinen hit snap shot to tie it with 80 seconds left. Then Eric Staal clinched the game with a goal with 32 seconds left. Limited in the first five games, Staal was dominant in Games 6 and 7 with five points.

[2] Joked again. Jussi Jokinen is pretty good at scoring with almost no time remaining. In Game 4, his tally with two-tenths remaining tied the series. Last night, his third goal of the series tied the game with 1:20 remaining in the third. Martin Brodeur seemed like he was going to do just enough to carry the Devils to the second round, but it
wasn’t to be. Brodeur stopped 27 shots.

[3] The Warden. After giving up Brian Rolston’s goal with 8:47 remaining in the second to put the Devils ahead 3-2, Cam Ward stopped a barrage of shots to keep the Canes in the game. Ward remains undefeated in Game 7’s (3-0), while Brodeur fell to 5-4. Jamie Langenbrunner and Jay Pandolfo had the other goals for the Devils, which came back-to-back in the first to give them a 2-1 lead at intermission.

DENIS GORMAN


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April 28, 2009, New York Rangers-Washington Capitals Game 7 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals advance for Metro (NY) Newspaper

US – Tuesday, April 28

Scott Gomez, right, and the offense have left Henrik Lundqvist, left, out to dry. The Caps have outscored the Rangers, 17-10.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

A Capital offense

Rangers’ scorers must wake up to have any chance in Game 7

Big number

8 Tonight will mark the eighth time in franchise history the Rangers will play a Game 7. The Rangers are 3-4 all-time in such contests. It is the seventh Game 7 in Capitals history, who are 1-5 in playoff series finales. The last time the Rangers were in a seventh game was the 1994 Stanley Cup Final at MSG.

That Cup team, though, had leaders in the form of Mark Messier, Adam Graves, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter. After 88 games, other than defenseman Paul Mara and Henrik Lundqvist, it is questionable if this Rangers squad possess any such leadership at all.

METRO

The media horde had disbanded and Henrik Lundqvist was bent over at his locker following an embarrassing 5-3 loss Sunday in Game 6. The Rangers’ goaltender had a despondent look on his face as he pulled the tape from his socks.

Lundqvist balled up the tape and glared at a nearby trash can — he shoots, he scores. Sadly, it was the best-looking shot the Rangers had taken in more than two games.

The Blueshirts’ sluggish scoring had put Lundqvist in front of a firing squad and the Washington Capitals on the brink of coming back from a 3-1 series deficit. The Rangers have blown two chances to close out the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed and have one final opportunity tonight in Game 7 at the Verizon Center.

“[Our] big offensive guys have not gotten it going,” said assistant Jim Schoenfeld, who replaced the suspended John Tortorella as head man on Sunday. “There is so much we have to do defensively because the other guys aren’t doing their job offensively.”

Through six games, the Rangers’ top scorers have only recorded 14 points while being on the ice for 12 Washington goals. In the same 360 minutes, Washington’s top guns have torched the Rangers for eight goals, 19 assists and 27 points.

“[It puts pressure [on Lundqvist to] not let in a bad goal or two because our guys aren’t gunning,” Schoenfeld said. “If we don’t recognize it, then Henrik has to pitch a shutout or a one-goal game, and we have to win another squeaker.”

That’s exactly how the Rangers won Games 2 and 4 by a combined score of 3-1. Lundqvist has stopped 166 of 183 shots (.907 save percentage) in the series. In the victories, Lundqvist has only allowed four goals on 109 shots (.963 save percentage). However, in the three losses, Lundqvist has only 61 saves on 74 shots (.824 save percentage). The Blueshirts have been outshot by 18 in those games and have given the Caps 15 power plays. And that’s a dangerous game against the league’s No. 2 power-play offense.

“[Lundqvist] can’t play every game like a god,” said the Caps’ Alex Ovechkin. “He can’t save the game all the time.”

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DENIS GORMAN

April 27, 2009, Washington Capitals-New York Rangers Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 6 game story for Metro NY Newspaper

US – Monday, April 27

Alex Ovechkin, left, scored a goal for the third straight game.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Rangers ripping apart at the seams

NHL.

The Rangers are now at the precipice. With one more date on the schedule tomorrow night, there is an opportunity for the Blueshirts to unite and author the kind of spring-to-summer run that is the stuff of legend. Alternately, what started as a promising season is staring into the abyss of unfulfilled potential.

The Rangers' Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Washington Capitals is tied 3-3 after yesterday's appearances-are-deceiving 5-3 loss. The last time the Rangers were in a Game 7 was the 1994 Stanley Cup Final against Vancouver.

“I think there were breakdowns and they capitalized. It’s as simple as that. We just have to be better,” said defenseman Wade Redden, who was one of the culprits that allowed the Caps to go up by as many as four goals. “We have to be stronger. If we make mistakes, we have to cover them up. It’s part of the game. We just have to be more determined.”

The disgraceful effort in Game 6 completed 45 of the most surrealistic hours in the annals of the franchise.

Before Game 5 at the Verizon Center on Friday, the Rangers announced that Sean Avery was a healthy scratch due to his on-ice behavior in games 3 and 4. In the third period of that game, a 4-0 loss, Rangers coach John Tortorella was involved in a confrontation with a Capitals fan. Tortorella squirted the fan with a water bottle, then threw the bottle over the glass and it hit a female fan in the head before grabbing Aaron Voros’ stick and jabbing in the direction of the first fan

On Saturday, the league announced Tortorella was suspended for his actions. As one might suspect, the Garden did not support the NHL’s decision.

“We disagree with the suspension and will have no further comment,” in a statement released by the organization Saturday night. Tortorella was in the building yesterday— NBC aired a shot of the head coach sitting in GM Glen Sather’s luxury box—but was not allowed to be in the dressing room after 12 noon and was banned from talking to the players and coaches. Jim Schoenfeld replaced Tortorella behind the bench.

Schoenfeld, he of the infamous “Have another donut” confrontation with Don Koharski following Game 3 of the 1988 then-Wales Conference Finals, defended the coach to the assembled media before yesterday's game, saying that Tortorella reacted only after hearing his players being slandered.

Less than a half hour before the game, the Garden made public a letter from Glen Sather to Commissioner Gary Bettman, in which the GM requested that the Capitals face disciplinary action for “gross negligence in ensuring the safety of the Rangers bench” and charged that fans made derogatory remarks about defensemen Staal and Dan Girardi having a homosexual relationship during Friday night’s game. NHL spokesperson John Dellapina told Metro that the league had made “provisions for (Sunday’s) game and a possible Game 7.”

In his post-game press conference after yesterday’s matinee, Schoenfeld said that referees Brad Meier and Bill McCreary and linesmen Pierre Racicot and Tony Sericolo ignored Brandon Dubinsky’s complaint that he was bit by Washington’s Shaone Morrisonn following a second period scrum. Instead, Dubinsky was assessed a 10 minute misconduct. Schoenfeld was also upset that a penalty was not called on Washington’s Donald Brashear for a late elbow to Blair Betts.

“I didn’t see it at the time. I saw it on the replay and it was a late hit to the head. It was pretty vicious. Bettsy did not see him coming. He is hurt significantly. It was a late hit to the head; the league will look at it and make their own ruling,” Schoenfeld said. “Dubinsky had to get a tetanus shot because he was bit in the arm in a scrum. I don’t know what affect that will have on him so his status will remain in question. As (Dubinsky) was trying to show the linesman, instead of looking he game him a 10-minute misconduct.”

The drama that swirled around the Rangers has overshadowed a multitude of flaws. As the series has progressed, the Rangers expected to provide scoring have regressed to the point of non-entity. The sextet of Gomez, Redden, Nik Zherdev, Chris Drury, Markus Naslund and Nik Antropov had combined for four goals, six assists, and 10 points while compiling a minus-9 rating in the first five games. Comparatively speaking, Washington’s Alex Semin had four goals, two assists, six points, a plus-4 rating to his name coming in the same time frame.

“I think there is a big double whammy there. (The) big offensive guys have not gotten it going (and) what happens is that their part of the job falls on someone else,” Schoenfeld said. “Now someone else has to do their job, plus. Kids like Callahan, kids like Dubinsky, like Staal and Girardi. With the penalties they kill, (Fredrik) Sjostrom (and) Betts. There is so much we have to do defensively because the other guys aren’t doing their job offensively. We are banking on the fact that these guys have enough courage, pride and want to find a way to get it done.”

Franchise goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has also struggled. The Rangers’ lone All-Star has given up 14 goals with a .876 save percentage in the last four games and has been benched in Games 5 and 6. It goes hand-in-hand that the Rangers have dropped three of the four games while their goaltender has struggled.

“It is not a fun feeling to sit there, knowing that obviously you want to be on the ice playing. Then again, you start to think about what is to come on [tomorrow]. The only thing I can do is get a good practice [today] and prepare for it,” Lundqvist said. “It is hockey. It happens. You just have to deal with it. I have to look over the game and see what I can do better. As a team, we have to see what we can do better. It was a big game and we came up short. It is definitely not over. We just have to regroup here (and) get ready for the next one. Game 7, anything can happen.”

Three things we saw yesterday

1 Out of control. The hiring of John Tortorella was supposed to bring accountability to a Rangers locker room that had supposedly grown too comfortable under nice guy Tom Renney. Through the first six games of this series, which is now tied up, the Rangers have been penalized to the tune of 114 penalty minutes. While Tortorella was serving a one-game suspension for an altercation with the fans in Game 5, Washington went 2-for-2 on the power play yesterday. Rangers replacement coach Jim Schoenfeld said there were too many players who were only “sort of involved” — hello, Nik Zherdev, who has yet to score and missed a wide-open net yesterday.

2 Sweet revenge. In a little more than three seasons with the Rangers, Tom Poti was a whipping boy because he wasn’t a puck-rushing defenseman. Poti, though, seems to have found his niche in Washington. He has two goals, four assists, six points and is a plus-1 in this series. Yesterday, Poti scored at 17:14 in the first to put the Caps up 3-1 and assisted on three others.

3 Net gain. In the five games since he replaced Jose Theodore as Washington’s No. 1 goaltender, Simeon Varlamov has three wins, two shutouts and has only given up six goals (.9358 save percentage). Varlamov held the Rangers to 2-of-8 on the power play yesterday. Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist has been pulled twice in the last four games and surrendered 14 goals Remind us, which team was supposed to have the franchise goaltender?

Game 7: Tomorrow night at the Verizon Center, 7 (MSG)

DENNIS GORMAN

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April 24, 2009, Carolina Hurricanes-New Jersey Devils Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game Five game story for Metro (NY) Newspaper

US – Friday, April 24

It was just another clutch postseason performance for the all-time wins leader, Martin Brodeur, right.

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Marty the Magnificent

Brodeur shuts out Canes in Game 5

NHL.

As the final seconds ticked down, the Devils dropped to the ice.

There was Jay Pandolfo, throwing his body into a puck. Brendan Shanahan, he of 656 goals and future enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame, diving to knock the puck out of the offensive zone. And of course, goaltender Martin Brodeur, defending the net like his first-born.

When it was finally, mercifully over, the Devils mobbed each other.

The Devils’ 1-0 win in Game 5 of Eastern Conference quarterfinals Thusday night at the Prudential Center was one for the ages. It also put the Devils up 3-2 in the series.

In the new era where flow has replaced grit as the National Hockey League’s attribute du jour, the Hurricanes and Devils combined both attributes to author a hockey masterpiece.

The difference was two men -- Brodeur and David Clarkson. Brodeur is a living legend, while Clarkson is just starting his NHL journey.

Brodeur is synonymous with goaltending excellence; the ubiquitous masked face of professional sports’ most intentionally anonymous franchise. In 15 NHL seasons, Brodeur has won the William Jennings Trophy for fewest team goals allowed four times (1997, 1998, 2003, 2004); the Vezina Trophy four times as the league’s best goaltender (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008); and the three-time Stanley Cup champion became the all-time wins leader earlier this season.

So, it was disconcerting to see the normally calm Brodeur screaming at referees Eric Furlatt and Wes McCauley, then smashing his stick against the boards while stalking off the ice Tuesday night in Raleigh, moments after Jussi Jokinen’s game-winning tip with less than a second remaining.

For 48 hours, Brodeur and his teammates were inundated with questions about how they would react as a team and individually.

Spectacularly well, as Game 5 would play out.

The Devils came out flying, hitting anything clad in a white sweater, throwing 42 shots at Carolina goaltender Cam Ward when not bumping into him. On the other end, Brodeur was, well, Brodeur.

In earning his 98^th playoff win—second most all time, trailing Roy by 53 triumphs—he also tied his fellow Quebecois goaltending legend for the most playoff shutouts with 23. The Hurricanes made Brodeur work for this win, throwing 44 shots at the Devils’ net. Brodeur made every manner of save possible—glove, pad saves and most spectacularly of all, reaching behind his body to stop a Jokinen roller that was headed into the net at 8:09 into the second period with the game scoreless.

“It’s nice but it’s all about winning,” said Brodeur about the record. “A 1-0 game and there’s 80-something shots, there’s a lot of chances. I like the 2-0 or 3-0 better."

No matter how great a goaltender is, a team cannot with without scoring. In the last two games, Clarkson stepped to the forefront. The third-year winger from Mimico, Ontario, Clarkson set career highs in goals (17), assists (15) and points (32) in the regular season, but he is in the lineup primarily for his muscle.

In Game 4, Clarkson tallied a power-play goal to tie the game at 3. Following the early skate, he laughed, then grew serious, when asked him if he expected Devils coach Brent Sutter to insert him on the power play on a regular basis.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” said Clarkson. “I just went to the net and the puck ended up on my stick for a minute. It’s a good feeling but at the end of the day, we didn’t get the win. So it kind of takes away from the feeling of scoring. I’m just going to keep working hard and whatever chances I get, I’m going to do my best.”

With 8:38 remaining in the second, Clarkson’s opportunity arose. The Devils were on a power play due to a Patrick Eaves trip of Dainius Zubrus. Andy Greene uncoiled a vicious slapshot that was going wide.

Then it deflected off of Clarkson’s stick and past Ward -- the only goal he’d allow. 1-0, Devils.

“I was in the front of the net, just screening the goalie on the power play and Greener had a great shot from the point,” Clarkson said. “Lucky I got a stick on it and (it) got by him.

“I didn’t know it was in right away until everyone started jumping around.”

The remaining 28:12 spanning the second and third witnessed both teams push for offense, only to be stonewalled by Brodeur and Ward. With Game 6 at the RBC Sunday in Raleigh and his team on the brink of elimination, one might expect Canes coach Paul Maurice to be either despondent or hell-raising.

Instead, he marveled at what he had just witnessed.

“It was just a great game at the end of the day. You had great goaltending. You had two teams that pride themselves on defense, but tonight you had 86 shots,” Maurice said. “We had 44 shots and 22 blocked shots, so we had over 70 attempts in (the) game. Sometimes you think of these teams and it’s going to be a little bit of a grind, but there was great goaltending and great offense on that ice tonight.”

Three things we saw Thursday night:

1 Marty the Magnificent. After flipping out at the refs and slamming his stick on the ice at the end of Game 4 in Raleigh, Martin Brodeur turned in one of his best performances Thursday night. Brodeur stopped all 44 shots, including 19 in the second period, for his 98th playoff win.

2 Back again. David Clarkson laughed off the notion he’d see more time on the power play after netting a special team’s goal in Game 4. “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Clarkson said. Guess what? At the 10:11 mark of the second period, the Devils’ winger tipped in a PP goal.

3 Madden-ing. Carolina’s Erik Cole-Eric Staal-Tuomo Ruutu line finished the regular season as one of the NHL’s highest scoring trios. They have been a nonfactor in this series (two goals, an assist and minus-1). John Madden and the Devils’ veterans have been uber-physical in this matchup.

DENIS GORMAN


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April 23, 2009, Washington Capitals-New York Rangers game story for Metro newspaepr

US – Thursday, April 23

Lundqvist rebounded last night after giving up four goals in Game 3.

The King has spoken

Lundqvist gives Rangers commanding 3-1 series lead

Key stat 14

Sean Avery had just four penalty minutes last night — 14 less than he had in Game 3. Avery, though, nearly cost the Rangers the win, with a high-sticking penalty with three minutes left in the game.

NHL.

Of course, there was one last flurry that held the crowd breathless.

It would not have been right to end this game any other way.

One last scramble, then a scream that was as much a stress release as a cheer.

The Rangers won, or rather, held on against the Capitals last night, 2-1. Now with a commanding 3-1 series lead, the Rangers have their first opportunity to advance to the semifinal round for the third year in a row tomorrow night at the Verizon Center.

The only reason the Rangers are in a position to advance is Henrik Lundqvist. Once again, he was a man facing a firing squad. Lundqvist stopped 38 shots of 39 shots last night. In the series, he’s turned away and has yielded only eight goals on 149 shots. Without Lundqvist, it’s a near certainty that the Rangers would not be on the cusp of advancing to face the Boston Bruins in a playoff series for the first time since 1973.

“He’s amazing. There’s not much you can’t say what he does for this team,” said Chris Drury, who scored the game-winning goal early in the second period. “For us, it’s a great example of what hard work and dedication does. He certainly bring that every day.”

Following their 60 minute no-show Monday in Game 3, the Rangers came out flying, hitting and crashing into Simeon Varlamov at every opportunity. The Blueshirts’ early work paid off when Paul Mara’s knuckled a slapshot off of an offensive zone faceoff at 13:55 into the first. The goal ended Varlamov’s shutout streak at 126:11.

“[Center Brandon Dubinsky] made a great faceoff, won it straight back and I was just trying to get the puck, not even (get it) to the net. Thank God it went in,” Mara said.

Drury doubled the lead 2:23 into the second. Drury rushed up ice and hammered a slap shot that Varlamov tried to glove. Instead of catching and freezing the puck, it dropped in front of Washington’s future franchise netminder. Lauri Korpikowski tried to push the puck in the net. Instead it came to Drury, who beat Varlamov glove side.

“The guys have all been playing extremely hard. I’ve just been trying to chip in wherever and however I can," Drury said. 'I just went out and got a good break.".

From there, the Rangers went into a shell and Washington sent out all of its big guns. Washington was stymied by Lundqvist, who put on spectacular goaltending display that was reminiscent of Mike Richter in that magical 1994 year. Lundqvist stoned Washington, turning away all 19 Capital shots in the period, including four brilliant saves in a span of 1:09.

“That is why we have a very good goalie and he is going to have to be good. They are going to get chances. That is just the way it is,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “You don’t stop them. You can’t stop them. It is just trying to contain them as best you can. You have to give some credit to a pretty hard working Washington team but we found a way to win.”

Alex Ovechkin cut the lead in half 2:16 into the third with his first goal of the series. Driving down the wing, the league’s best player took his patented wrist shot from the circle through Derek Morris’ legs that Lundqvist said hit his glove. Already in a shell, the Rangers tightened up even more while the Caps threw shots at Lundqvist from every angle.

“He saved the game again. He’s playing great right now,” Ovechkin said of Lundqvist. “Lundqvist did an unbelievable job. He’s supposed to make great saves. But we didn’t score on our chances.”

After scoring two special teams goals in Game 3, the Caps went 0-for-6 on the power play last night.

Along with going into the defensive shell, the other reason Washington had chances was due to Sean Avery inserted himself into the series in the third period. The league’s most hated man single-handedly nearly gave the game away. At 10:36, following a race to the puck with Milan Jurcina, Avery earned a roughing call as he spun and threw a backhand punch that bloodied the Washington defenseman. Three minutes later, he was assessed two minutes for a high stick to the neck of Brian Pothier. Expect the league to review the high stick on Pothier to see if it is suspension-worthy.

One of the league’s most effective players when he’s on his game, Avery has been a detriment instead of a contributor in the series. In the four games, he has 24 penalty minutes and has gone pointless. Avery was not available for comment and Tortorella would not talk about his winger.

“I’m not going to talk about that stuff with you guys. I have issues with a number of things that went on tonight, but that’ll be in the locker room," Tortorella said. "We’ll keep that in the locker room."

Three things we saw last night:

1 King of Kings. Prior to the series, it was widely agreed that Henrik Lundqvist was the Rangers best chance to steal the series. Lundqvist had been good in the first three games. That was prologue to a spectacular exhibition of goaltending last night. Lundqvist stopped a career-playoff best 38 shots, including an outrageous 19 in the second period to give his team a 3-1 series lead. The Caps’ lone goal came 2:16 into the third when Alex Ovechkin used Derek Morris as a screen and wristed a bullet into the net. King Henrik swatted away shot after shot in two power plays to the final period.

2 Drury’s back. The Rangers held information regarding Chris Drury’s injury tighter than the CIA holds state secrets. Drury’s hurt, but no one knows exactly to what extent. Still, the Rangers captain wants to play when the games mean something. Two minutes into the second period and the Rangers leading 1-0, Drury steamed down the wing and unleashed a slapshot that rookie netminder Simeon Varlamov couldn’t glove. Lauri Korpikowski tried to jam the puck under the Washington rookie. The puck came loose and one of the great winners in American sports scored his 47th career playoff goal—first of this playoff year—with a rebound.

3 Not going Green. Washington’s Mike Green could be this century’s Paul Coffey, an unparalleled scoring machine from the blueline. One of the odds-on favorites to win the Norris Trophy in June, Green has been MIA in the series with only two assists, no goals, six penalty minutes while compiling a minus-3 rating through four games. “He tries to do too much,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said at the pregame skate. Last night, in nearly 30 minutes of ice time, Green took two shots, committed a penalty and did not record a point.

• The Rangers took the game they had to have. If Washington would have won last night, the Caps were going to take the series. Instead, the Rangers have three opportunities to close out the series and prepare for Eastern Conference top seed Boston Bruins. However, before the Rangers can advance, Sean Avery will have to dial it down. He very nearly killed any chance his team had by committing two mindless penalties in the third period. The Rangers have a 3-1 series edge because Henrik Lundqvist is the best player on the ice.

• Next game: Game 5, Friday night, 7 (MSG) at the Verizon Center.

DENIS GORMAN

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April 22, 2009, New York Rangers offday story

US – Wednesday, April 22

Sean Avery, right, had three of the Rangers’ five second-period penalties in Game 3 on Monday.

Photo: Getty Images

Thinking outside the box

Rangers must clear up penalty problems to play with Capitals

4

The Capitals, ranked second on the power play in the regular season, have scored four such goals in this series.

Sean Avery got the last punch. The Washington Capitals got the last laugh.

With 2:48 remaining in Monday night’s 4-0 pounding at the Garden, Rangers agitator Avery rammed into Caps’ goaltender Simeon Varlamov. Among those who came to the rookie netminder’s aid was Washington defenseman John Erskine, who was rewarded for his loyalty with a punch in the face from Avery.

Erskine kept his cool, Avery was ushered off with a 10-minute misconduct and two minutes for roughing and 73 seconds later former Rangers defenseman and fan whipping boy Tom Poti scored the game’s final goal.

“It was kind of like the first game. It was a parade to the box,” said Blueshirts defenseman Marc Staal. “I’m not sure if it was desperation, trying to get the lead back or what, but we’ve definitely got to stay out of the box.”

The Rangers have spent a great deal of time on the penalty kill in the first three games, having committed 19 infractions totaling 46 minutes compared to Washington’s 16 for 32. On Monday night, the Blueshirts committed nine penalties that totaled 26 minutes. Avery “led” the way with 18 PIMs.

Despite the lack of discipline, the Rangers still hold a 2-1 series edge heading into tonight’s Game 4. They know that lead will evaporate if it’s more the same.

“We can’t sit in the box,” forward Markus Nasland said. “We got away with it in the first game, but [being disciplined] is a big part of the momentum going either way.

John Tortorella was asked his opinion about the job referees Dave Jackson and Kelly Sutherland did on Monday. The outspoken Rangers’ coach did not mince words.

“Penalties were called. I am not sure what they were,” Tortorella said. “That really wasn’t an indicator of how we played. I am not going to whine about penalties. We stunk. Simple.”

DENIS GORMAN

http://www.ny.metro.us/us/article/2009/04/22/06/0749-82/index.xml

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April 21, 2009, Washington Capitals-New York Rangers Eastern Conference Quarterfinals game three game story for Metro

US – Tuesday, April 21

Alex Semin (28) fought off pressure to score two first-period goals.

Photo: Getty Images

Never in it

Caps smoke Rangers in Game 3

It didn't take long for energy to get sucked out of the Garden. The national anthem was pretty much the height of intensity in last night's Game 3.

By the end, joy was replaced by consternation. Midway through the second period, 18,200 denizens began to amuse themselves by vehemetly assessing the job performance of referees Dave Jackson and Kelly Sutherland in a negative manner. At the game’s end, the public address announcer pleaded with the same citizenry—a group that would have been at home in ancient Rome—to not toss objects onto the ice.

By any measure last night’s nationally televised 4-0 loss was a debacle. The Rangers were outshot 40-33, committed more penalties (nine for 26 minutes compared to seven for 14), couldn’t get the puck out of the defensive zone; the Rangers tried to make fancy plays instead of simple ones, were unable to get their forecheck game going and didn’t much get to the front of the Caps net. Add the variables together and you have the formula for an unhappy coach.

“I thought we stunk defensively,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said in his post game press conference. “We were chasing our tail all night long; spinning and watching the puck. Against a team like that, the way they can move the puck, you can’t be watching the puck. We had too many guys doing the same job and that was a big problem for us.

“I thought we were terrible defensively. As I said, I think a very important part of trying to compete in this series is having the puck. You’re not going to have the puck if you play defense like we played tonight. To create offense, you need to be sound defensively and we weren’t. We weren’t even close. It was a good old fashioned spanking tonight.”

The only Ranger to show up last night was Henrik Lundqvist. A condemned man facing a firing squad, Lundqvist turned away 36 shots.

“I felt like they were the better team the whole game. It just felt like they had more power out there. They got a great start and played smart,” Lundqvist said.

Following two games where they were unwilling to pay the price, Washington came out hitting and crashing Lundqvist’s crease at every opportunity. It paid off when the Caps’ other Alex, left wing Alex Semin, scored the first—and as it turned out, game-winning—goal 6:57 into the first with wrist shot that Lundqvist was unable to glove.

If the Rangers had hopes of winning the game, they died in an eight second span of the period. With 8:36 left in the first, Markus Naslund and Ryan Callahan broke in on a 2-on-1. Caps rookie goaltender Simeon Varlamov was leaning towards the veteran Swede, leaving plenty of room on the stickside. Naslund threw a beautiful cross-ice pass to Callahan, who had an empty net. The game was going to be tied. It was a certainty, except for a minor detail.

Callahan hit the post.

The Caps counterattacked, finishing with Semin’s second goal at 8:24. Washington was up, leading 2-0. The Rangers were deflated. For all intents and purposes, the game was over.

“That definitely wasn’t in. It clearly hit the post. He swung his stick around and got a piece of it, and it hit the post,” said Callahan. “The whole game is momentum changing plays and on that one, we could have had a 1-1 tie and two seconds later, they are up 2-0. At the same time, the game is not over in the first period. We have to be better than that.”

Varlamov stopped 33 shots and has a 112:16 shutout streak dating back to game two.

“Even though he’s only 20 years old, he’s played in the finals of the Russian Elite League, which is probably, to him, it’s our Stanley Cup. The pressure is probably just as much there and he’s played in the World Championships,” noted Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “And the fact that he doesn’t understand a word we’re saying probably really helps him.”

What may have also helped Varlamov was that the Rangers completely lost their composure in the second period. Called for five penalties—three on Sean Avery, who had six minutes of penalties in the period, 18 minutes overall and earned a game misconduct at 17:12 of the third—the Rangers spent most of the period on the penalty kill. The Rangers were the best penalty killing team in the regular season, eliminating opponents’ man advantage at an 87.8 percent clip. But give a team enough chances with the man advantage, they will score.

And Washington did.

Semin earned his third point with an assist on Brooks Laich’s side-of-the-net power play tally at 11:29 of the second while Callahan was in the box for high-sticking. After Avery was tossed , former Ranger defenseman Tom Poti scored the game’s final goal with 1:25 left.

The Rangers lead the series 2-1 and game four is Wednesday night at the Garden. If the Rangers show up, well that’s anyone’s guess.

Three things we saw last night:

1 Capped. Let’s let you in on a little secret. When they want to play defense, Washington is a pretty good shutdown team. Last night, the Rangers had trouble getting out of their own end. When they did, the Blueshirts were met by three Caps at the blue line. Of course, giving the league’s No. 2 power-play offense six advantages doesn’t help you either. The Caps went 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Rangers went 0-for-6.

2 Other Alex Did you hear about this Russian guy named Alexander on the Capitals? He’s big, skilled and a guy that you can build a franchise around. No, not Ovechkin—although he possesses all of those traits. In this case, the Alex in question is Semin. All he did was score two goals and assist on another in Washington’s thumping of the Rangers. Ovechkin was just active, though, coming up with two assists.

3 Riding a Varly. During the 2007 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Rangers and Atlanta, then Thrashers coach Bob Hartley alternated between goaltenders and the Blueshirts swept them. Following Game 1 of this series, Bruce Boudreau decided to replace veteran Jose Theodore with highly regarded rookie Simeon Varlamov. In the two games since, Varlamov has only given up one goal on 57 shots.

• You know the talk about the Rangers winning easily? Yeah, that was not going to happen. The Capitals didn’t finish the regular season with 108 points because they were easy to play against.
And no, Alex Ovechkin doesn’t have a goal this series, but he’s got four assists. He was everywhere last night, even running down a Rangers’ breakaway.

• Next game: Tomorrow, 7 p.m. (MSG). The Rangers take a 2-1 advantage into Game 4 at the Garden. They have to limit the penalties (Sean Avery had 18 minutes worth last night).

DENIS GORMAN

http://www.ny.metro.us/us/article/2009/04/21/07/3030-82/index.xml

http://www.readmetro.com/show/en/NewYork/20090421/1/29/

April 17, 2009, Carolina Hurricanes off-day story for Metro

US – Friday, April 17

Updated 03:12, April the 17th, 2009

Devils should expect a different Canes team in Game 2

NHL. Carolina coach Paul Maurice tried to warn his team their first round opponent was not the same Devils team most of them watched in the ’90s. Defense was replaced by offense, and lots of it.

So it’s a real head scratcher why Carolina, a team that had not qualified for the playoffs two years running, was not be ready to play Wednesday. It’s especially puzzling it hit the snooze button against a such a high powered opponent (238 goals in the regular season). The result: a 4-1 Devils beatdown in Game 1.

“It was pretty obvious that we weren’t ready to play,” said defenseman Tim Conboy, who characterized his too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty 37 seconds into the game as “stupid.”

The Devils outshot the Hurricanes 39-19 and silenced their big goal scorers, Eric Staal and Erik Cole, holding them to just three shots.

Two hours before the opening faceoff, Maurice was matter-of-fact in noting that unlike previous editions, “This is not the New Jersey Devils of 10 years ago, where defense was their primary concern. Their top two lines skate very well, move the puck well (and) have a real good attack game. I think they’re more dangerous off the rush now than they’ve ever been.”

His words proved apt as the Devils dominated across the board Wednesday night. New Jersey spent most of the night in Carolina’s zone, having outshot the Hurricanes 39-19. In other words, Cam Ward had to work to keep his team in the game while Martin Brodeur had a relatively stress-free night in net.

Carolina’s coach echoed his earlier theme after the game.

“I thought they did a pretty good job in all three offensive areas. I think the even strength shots after one was 8-7. They put seven shots on the two power plays; they were very good with that. We had a very difficult time moving the puck through and because of that our forecheck did not get established,” said Maurice. “When that happens, you’re giving the other team breakouts and counters that are easy to make. The fourth goal was a good example. We had guys laying on the ice and just couldn’t get the puck to the net or didn’t move it quick enough to get it to the net.”

Immediately following Ray Whitney’s goal, the Hurricanes had an opportunity to cut the Devils’ lead to 3-2 but Chad LaRose whiffed on a wrister from the slot. The Devils counterattacked and finished the rush with Jamie Langenbrunner’s glove side high wrist shot that increased the lead to 4-1. Instead of trailing by a goal with 10 minutes left, the Hurricanes were down three to the organization that has redefined defensive responsibility.

“Give them credit. That was a big goal for them. They capitalized on their chance. We had just had a really good chance to make it 3-2 and they went down and scored,” said Matt Cullen. “That’s hockey. It was that close to being a 3-2 game with plenty of time left. As poorly as we played, we were still in it. Obviously that was the dagger.”

Maurice and Cullen bemoaned the lack of a forecheck. That will have to change or the Hurricanes’ season will be over.

“Clearly, I think there’s another level for our team. So much of finishing checks and being physical is generating the speed to do it. We weren’t the faster team tonight,” Maurice said in his post-game press conference.

Added Cullen: “We need to do a better job of getting in on pucks, maybe being a little more physical with their first and second guys. From there we have to move our feet and do what we normally do. We did it for 82 games, so we know we have to find our game.”

Still, for as poorly as the Hurricanes played, there is still a series left to be played. They know it and believe that they display their brand of hockey in tonight’s game two at The Prudential Center.

“Fortunately it was the first game. We know we have to have a better effort and the good part is (that) we know there’s better hockey in this room,” Cullen said.

DENIS GORMAN

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2009/04/17/07/3719-82/index.xml


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