April 28, 2009, New York Rangers-Washington Capitals Game 7 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals advance for Metro (NY) Newspaper
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
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.”
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 2:33 PM
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