March 26, 2011, HockeyPrimeTime.com examination of Henrik Lundqvist's 2010-11 campaign

Gotham's royal hush

Atlantic

Written by Denis Gorman

Saturday, March 26, 2011 05:17

Quietly, Henrik Lundqvist is leading the NHL in shutouts. Inside the Rangers' locker room, the "King" is rightly recognized as the most valuable piece to his team's playoff hopes. Only 3:39 remained in the third period of the Rangers' game with the Montreal Canadiens on March 16 when the 2010-11 season flashed before a franchise's eyes. Henrik Lundqvist was motionless, sprawled on the Madison Square Garden ice after being steamrolled by Canadiens left wing Benoit Pouliot. Thoughts of concussions or other devastating injuries spread instantly – followed by a requiem for what had been a fantastic bounce-back campaign for New York City’s original-six squad. AROUND THE ATLANTIC While backup Chad Johnson is a professional goaltender, he is not royalty. Henrik Lundqvist’s nickname is "King" for good reason. Before the fans' grief could evolve from Panic to Anger or Acceptance, Lundqvist was able to stand up. Pouliot skated to the visitors’ penalty box, having been assessed a two minute minor for goaltender interference, and Lundqvist played out the remainder of a 6-3 win over the Les Habitants. He finished with 22 saves and one hell of a stiff neck. Crisis averted. The scare fueled the question of Lundqvist's workload, which is always high but rarely under such an intense microscope. “If I play (Johnson) here in this situation, because I think Hank has gotten enough rest, I’m not sure if it’s going to happen," Rangers head coach John Tortorella said last week. "He has practiced well. It’s certainly not an ideal situation to put a guy in, where we’re at right now. But we have confidence in him. He’s practiced very well.” The Rangers coach expounded that the Rangers’ remaining games and the organizational decision to limit Lundqvist’s workload benefitted both the team and the goaltender. “The schedule is good for us, especially the rest he got during the year. He got plenty of rest. I think he’ll play under 70 if he plays the rest of these and that’s what we were looking for (during the off-season).” Tortorella noted. “He’s feeling pretty good about himself right now, so we’ll go with him and see what happens.” Lundqvist is writing the final chapter of one of the greatest seasons ever authored by a New York Rangers goaltender. He's 32-24-4 with 10 shutouts, a .922 save percentage and 2.31 goals-against average. He ranks third in the NHL in wins, first in shutouts, 13th in save percentage and 18th in goals against. Yet for a goalie who plies his trade in a city known for its myriad media outlets, and an organization that has no issue generating headlines, Lundqvist’s fantastic season seems to have been forgotten. Even worse, it's been taken for granted in the discussion of the game’s best netminders this season. The Vezina Trophy has long been consigned to the Boston Bruins’ Tim Thomas. Thomas is in the midst of a very fine season in his own right, with a 30-10-8 mark, .937 save percentage, 2.06 GAA and seven shutouts. Others mentioned in the Vezina race are Montreal’s Carey Price and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne, while legitimate arguments can be authored for Ilya Bryzgalov, Cam Ward, Jonathan Quick, Marc-Andre Fleury and Corey Crawford. All have been better than good for their respective teams, all of whom find themselves in the midst of playoff races. But does that mean Lundqvist’s campaign should be an addendum? Not if you talk to his teammates. “To a man in the room we all know he is the most important guy for us to win games,” Ryan Callahan said after Lundqvist shut out Florida 1-0 on Tuesday, his 10th shutout of the season. “The big thing is that he is our guy and he is having a Vezina type of year.” “Hank stood tall for us in there,” added Dan Girardi. It's foolhardy to think that personal achievement never crosses an athlete's mind. Lundqvist was on the ice in Philadelphia on April 11, 2010, when the Rangers lost to the Flyers 2-1 in a shootout. The Rangers missed the playoffs while Philadelphia would reach the Stanley Cup Final as the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed. Lundqvist has not forgotten the feeling of missing the playoffs – a first for the Rangers since the lockout – by one point. Montreal was the eighth seed with 88 points. The Rangers finished with 87. “I keep reminding myself every day now that last year was one point. I don’t want to be there and I don’t think anyone else wants to be there. This is a game that could be the difference,” Lundqvist told a horde of journalists surrounding his stall Tuesday night. “It is fun. We are winning. We just have to keep it going. “It is going to come down to low-scoring games so you have to be sharp. We didn’t get frustrated. It is easy to get frustrated in a game like this. The key is being mentally sharp.” Having one of the NHL’s best in goal does not hurt, either. Notes Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs after elbowing New York Rangers D Ryan McDonagh in the jaw during Sunday’s 5-2 home loss, not even a full week following the implementation of new guidelines to combat headshots. Cooke told reporters that he needed “to change” the way he plays. … Yahoo! Sports’ Puck Daddy NHL blog posted an entry wondering whether New York Islanders rookie RW Michael Grabner could win the Calder Trophy. Grabner has scored 31 goals and 48 points, and is plus-17, in 70 games this season. …Flyers GM Paul Holmgren announced that enforcer Jody Shelley would undergo surgery on his fractured orbital bone Thursday. D Danny Syvret was called up from AHL Adirondack in the corresponding roster move. … The Flyers organization announced Wednesday that it had agreed to a free agent contract with Bemidji State University F Matt Read. … The Devils playoff hopes may be dashed after losing four of their last eight games. On Twitter: @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photos by Getty Images

Last Updated on Saturday, March 26, 2011 06:02

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