Outlasting & Outworking Ovechkin

The New York Rangers are sitting pretty with a 3-1 series lead against the Washington Capitals as Game 5 returns to the D.C. area. In order for New York to win on the road, the intrepid goal play of Henrik Lundqvist must again contain the powerful Capital skaters. Wednesday night, Washington took adamant attempts to the net the entire game, only to be turned back by Lundqvist’s protective shield.
The Rangers were aptly able to bounce back from a home loss two nights ago. The injured, Chris Drury, was on the ice last night in the second period to take a timely cross pass from Derek Morris. Drury attempted a shot against Capitals rookie goalie, Simeon Varlamov and missed. The rebound was slapped in for a wrister though, giving the Blueshirts a 2-0 lead. Lauri Korpikoski poked the puck to Drury on the rebound. That was all the scoring they needed in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. Lundqvist provided the team his best playoff effort, with 38 saves, 19 in the second period alone. He allowed a single goal to Alex Ovechkin. Alex skated in one-on-two after collected the puck from the top of his zone and skating down the ice. He rifled the puck through the Morris’ legs and the crossbars for Washington‘s third period goal.
Paul Mara scored the first Rangers goal in the opening period. He fired a shot that deflected off John Erskine and swept past Varlamov. Varlamov made 19 saves in the tough-luck loss. He struggled to handle the puck between the posts in only his third playoff appearance.
The Rangers captain, Drury, was a warrior with his composed clutch performance last night. The excellent puck handler has been playing with restrictions because of an injured right hand and he sat out Game 1 completely. New York needs his leadership on the road in Game 5 as the 7th seeded Rangers have the Capitals facing elimination. New York received a stellar Game 2 from their net minder. Lundqvist shut out Washington 1-0 then but was even more impassable Wednesday in silencing the sticks again. The gifted Garden goal play wasn’t the only good performance in Game 4. The Rangers penalty-killers did their job in stopping Washington too. Control on puck penetration boosted the Blueshirts as the defense held the Capitals in check.
Washington out-shot the Rangers 39-21 and still find themselves down by two games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Sooner or later, it seems the offensively-minded Capitals will have an operative outburst. They erupted in Game 3 for the four goal shutout but have struggled to shoot for most of the series. It’s puzzling how invisible Mike Green has been in the playoffs. Green has been held scoreless and Ovechkin finally found the net last night for the first time in the series. Ovechkin led the NHL in the regular season with 56 goals and the sooner he finds his groove, the more trouble he’ll cause the Rangers. It could be too little, too late unless Washington creates some momentum soon.
Washington coach, Bruce Boudreau benched goalie, Jose Theodore after the Game 1 loss. The Rangers were able to solve his replacement once, but 20 year old Varlamov got his team back in the series Monday night. The series certainly is not over for the number two seed Capitals. They can pull off the improbable comeback with a few adjustments and players stepping up. The raw rookie Varlamov settled down after showing a little unbalance early on. The Rangers were smart in creating traffic in front of the goalie in order to test him. They still need to obstruct his view and take even more shots when given the opportunity. Disciplined hockey is something the team needs to enact on the road Friday. They skated in and out of trouble last night and honestly, were lucky to win the game. If not for the same old song and dance and familiar feel of Lundqvist, the Rangers might not have a 3-1 lead.
Washington is the more physical team and their stature cannot be overlooked. The power play opportunities were present and plentiful in Game 4. The Capitals went 0-6 on the power play, including two crucial third period ones with Sean Avery in the box. Sean bloodied Washington defensiveman, Milan Jurcina with a shot to the face and was called for high sticking Brian Pothier to leave the Blue shirts a man short. The emotional Avery seems to rattle easily against Washington. If anything is going to kill the Rangers, it could be the penalties. Avery spent 18 minutes in the penalty box and about 16 on the ice. Avery’s penalties this series have been inexcusable and inappropriate, and include one for misconduct. He cannot keep this up in the remaining games.
The Rangers defense defiled the Capitals scoring chances though, and Washington was unable to tie it up. For a team entering the post-season with the second best power play, Washington was stripped of their splendor. There were too many passes by the Caps and not enough shots. The team was in the Rangers zone for two minutes in the third period with a one-man advantage, but flailed and floundered.
Washington drew their own penalty during the same time after Alexander Semin tripped Avery. Both teams showed plenty of hitting but it was the aggressive Rangers who pinned Washington’s backs against the wall. Even with the earlier penalties the Rangers endured, they were able to counteract the calls, drawing several of their own. The Blueshirts were successful and flourished in coverage. Two keys for New York in Game 4 were winning face-offs (67%) and keeping the Caps out of the Rangers’ crease. Brandon Dubinsky was 15-2 on draws. Marc Staal and the Ranger defensive provided the showering stoppage against the soaring Caps.
New York is still not shooting accurately or taking quality shots. The team tries to be too cute and plays too loose at times. The rebounding could be better and they need more production from Nick Andropov and Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev put in a whopping six minutes ice time Wednesday. John Tortorella is not inclined to play him but I think he needs to be a Game 5 skater. The blue and white clad fans won’t be at the Verizon Center in Game 5 for an added Rangers advantage. Lundqvist is breath-taking, undulating and undeniable in the net. He is capable of stifling any team on offense and is a game changer. Henrik can bail out his team only if they do not play lazy and rest their legs. They are becoming too comfortable with him in goal. New York has to score some goals and keep the puck deep if they are going to take this series. They need to clamp down on defense, like they did in Game 4. Even though they were outscored, the Rangers minimized the athletically superior Capitals’ quality shots. They need to outlast and outwork Ovechkin one more time.

Parting points: Fantastic finish from the Yankees bullpen yesterday and a nice walkoff shot by Melky. It was Cabrera’s second of the game (one from each side of the plate) and fourth of the year.
Song of the day- “Dosed” by Red Hot Chili Peppers