As the Rangers get ready, they know they will be without Ryan Callahan, one of their best young two-way forwards. Losing Callahan definitely hurts but there is enough on this Rangers team to help them overcome. Getting Chris Drury back in the last game, and also watching him get his first goal of the year, was a huge boost. Drury is not the player he once was but he does have a history of stepping things up in the playoffs. While he won't single handedly take over a series, as he did as a member of the Sabres against the Rangers a few years ago, I am willing to bet he elevates his game just enough to play a key role. The Rangers can use his grittiness to replace the loss of Callahan and will be counting on their captain to provide the leadership and determination that Callahan put forth night in and night out.
Speaking of stepping up, perhaps no Ranger needs to elevate their game more than Marian Gaborik. He has not had a very good year so far and his performance in the playoffs could decide his future with the Rangers. Gabby spent a lot of time in Coach John Tortarella's doghouse this season and seemed to go months without finding the back of the net before exploding for bunches at a time. He hasn't scored since March 20th, capping a 4 goal in three games stretch. If the Rangers are going to advance they will need Gaborik to step it up, especially on the power play.
Ahhh, the power play. This is the Rangers Achilles heel, converting on 16.9% of their chances. They acquired Bryan McCabe at the deadline to be the point man on the power play and, although it hasn't shown much in results, the power play got a small boost. The Rangers are going to need to translate the chances into goals, something they have not done well all year. McCabe can only do so much from the point. It is up to the finishers to smack in rebounds and find the holes. The Rangers won't need to all of a sudden convert on 30% of their chances in order to succeed but a small increase on their power play could mean the difference between going on or going home.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is the Rangers penalty kill. Ranking 10th overall with a 83.7% kill rate, the Rangers have shown to be effective keeping the puck out of the net. They are also very dangerous when it comes to being short-handed with Brandon Prust leading the way with 5 short-handed goals on the season. Brandon Dubinsky also netted two and with his speed he can take the puck down the ice in the blink of an eye. The Rangers will need to be effective on the penalty kill (just like every team in the playoffs) if they are going to advance.
Perhaps nothing can do a team in, or boost a team more, than the play of their goaltender. Henrik Lundqvist is coming off of his finest season with a career high 11 shutouts and career best .923 save percentage. Coach Tortarella did a good job early on of spelling King Henry with Martin Biron who is probably the Rangers most reliable backup since the days of Glenn Healy. However, a broken clavicle put the brakes on Biron and forced Tortarella to ride his best netminder a bit more than he might have wanted. However, the time off between the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs should be just enough to give Henry a good rest. He is the key to the Rangers playoff hopes. I expect King Henry to continue his great season with some great play between the pipes.
When all is said and done I think the Rangers are going to show their grit in this playoff series. The players that were here for the 3-1 come back in 2009 will remember how close they came and to see the very team that knocked you out in historic fashion will keep the Rangers blood up. Even though Alex Ovechkin will be suiting up against this Rangers team, I think the Rangers will be hungry considering how close they came in 2009 to advancing and how close they were to making the playoffs last year. John Tortarella has changed the Rangers philosophy and has this team playing hard on both ends of the ice. The core of this team is young and dynamic, perhaps one of the best young groups the Rangers have ever suited up. The top defensive pair of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi is as good as any in the league and are only 24 and 26 respectively. Dubinsky is only 24. Derek Stepan is 20. The oldest Ranger is only 36, and that is Vinny Prospal who is still productive. The Rangers are going to have a bunch of young, hungry players with a sprinkling of gritty vets to get the job done. It won't be easy, having to shut down Alexander the Great and get the puck past Michal Neuvirth. However, Mike Green, the Caps best defenseman is coming off a concussion and although he should be ready to go one has to wonder if there will be any rust on his skates since he hasn't skated since Feb. 25th, a 6-0 loss to the Rangers. If Green is slow to return to form the Caps will be in trouble and could find themselves in a hole quickly.
Overall, the Rangers will slip past the Caps. King Henry has been here and done this while Neuvirth has never gotten into an NHL playoff game. In the playoffs the play of your goalie can make or break a season more so than the regular season. The Rangers will win in 6.
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