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Monday, April 8, 2013

Lundqvist Peaking At The Right Time

For the better part of the shortened 2013 season, the New York Rangers have been forced to do some soul searching. The constant inconsistency, no pun intended, and lack of scoring has the Rangers battling multiple teams for the final playoff spots. After a trade sent Marian Gaborik to Columbus, and the addition of Ryane Clowe, the Rangers are beginning to find their groove, and no one has elevated their game more than Henrik Lundqvist.

Since being blanked in back-to-back games against Ottawa and Montreal, the Rangers are 3-0-1 and have moved into seventh place in the east. It's only four games, but in these four games the Rangers are playing the kind of hockey that will get them to the playoffs. In the four games the Rangers have out scored their opponents 15-5 (shootout goals not included), including a 6-1 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rick Nash has continued to put points on the board, and Derek Stepan is finally performing at the level he was expected to.


But enough about the skaters, we all know who the backbone of the New York Rangers is, and lately Henrik Lundqvist has had his team on his back. Lundqvist has returned to top form, and it could not have come at a better time for the Blueshirts. In his last ten starts, Lundqvist has posted a .944 save percentage, a 1.80 goals against average, and has allowed more than two goals in just two of those games. In the Rangers hom-and-home with Pittsburgh this past week, Lundqvist held the the highest scoring team in the NHL (124 goals scored) to just two goals in six periods and one five minute overtime period.

More importantly than the stats Lundqvist has put up, is the quality of the saves he has made. On Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes Lundqvist put on a goaltending clinic. The Hurricanes threw 49 shots at the net, and could only beat the King once. Lundqvist faced a number of barrages by the 'Canes and who knows how many point blank shots they had too, but Lundqvist was a stonewall all night. Saturday night's performance may have been the best of Lundqvist's career. The King has been so superb the past two weeks that after Saturday night's all-time performance, I was waiting for him to take off his equipment, throw on his red cape and fly out of PNC Arena with the giant S on his chest.

With ten games left in the season, and the Rangers looking to first make the playoffs and then make a run in the playoffs, they are sure happy they Henrik between the pipes. It should come as no surprise to Ranger fans that Lundqvist is getting hot now, it's almost playoff time, and that is when Lundqvist shines the brightest.

To win the Stanley Cup a team must be able to ride their goaltender, just look at last season with the L.A Kings and Jonathan Quick. The Rangers will need Lundqvist to maintain his high level of play during the final stretch of regular season games as seven of the final ten games are against teams that are chasing the Rangers for a playoff spot or are being chased by the Rangers.

Down the stretch they come...Let's see how this sentence will end.

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