The following words are ones I never expected to type: the New York Rangers just punched their ticket to the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Semi Finals.
Perhaps the sentence does not do justice to the history-making accomplishments of Alain Vigneault’s Rangers squad. After all, they were in the hockey abyss after Game Four on home ice at Madison Square Garden, down 3-1 in the series, teetering on the brink, 60 minutes of hockey away from elimination.
The Rangers squad who had a measly fifteen shots on Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in Game Four were listless, ill-disciplined, devoid of offense and lazy. They were booed off the ice by their long-suffering fans. All signs pointed to Game Five being the end. Pittsburgh had all the momentum in the world. Heading back home to the Steel City, things looked steely-grim for the Broadway Blueshirts.
What happened then will forever be the stuff of hockey legend. This proud and long-standing club has seen many miracles occur over it’s existence, but none quite like the one engineered by the 2014 squad. A 3-1 deficit became a 4-3 series win, the Rangers triumphing against all odds on enemy ice in Pittsburgh in the most pressure-cooked situation known to hockey players: a Game 7 winner-take-all affair.
Upon arriving in Pittsburgh for Game 7, veteran New York forward Martin St Louis received devastating news: his mother had died suddenly, succumbing to a massive heart attack. He quickly flew to Canada to be with his father and sister, and the Rangers’ faint chances took another hit.
Yet, St Louis returned to the locker room for Game 5, surprising most pundits, saying that it was what his mother would have wanted. Playing with heavy hearts, the Rangers were the complete opposite of what they were in Game 4 at the Garden. They played like men possessed, led by Derrick Brassard netting two goals en route to an emotional 5-1 victory.
Surely, lightning couldn’t strike twice? Ahh, but it did. Back at the Garden, on Mother’s Day, mere seconds after the crowd had finished chanting his name – “Marty! Marty! Marty” – the man of the moment added to the legend, scoring the opening goal of the game. As St Louis scooped up the puck, intending on giving it to his father and sister, both present at the game, the crowd went wild.
Again, the Rangers played like fiends, back-checking, blocking shots, creating scoring opportunities, working together, and it was the Penguins, so solid and impressive in the early part of the series, who were faltering down the stretch. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had his mojo back, making a string of incredible saves as Brassard and Carl Hagelin joined St Louis on the score sheet, and New York, against all odds, won 3-1 and the series was tied 3-3 heading into Game 7 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
Game 7 is what hockey players live for. It’s a chance to make a name for yourself, and Lundqvist did just that. In a frantic final period, in which Pittsburgh dominated play, the man they call King Henrik, battled and battled and battled, flinging his body this way and that, making saves even when he didn’t have possession of his stick.
You cannot say enough about the man. Pittsburgh’s stars tried hard, the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal, but none could solve the Lundqvist puzzle after Jussi Jokinen’s second-period marker.
At the other end of the ice, Brian Boyle scored early on Pens goalie Marc Andre Fleury and Brad Richards, a man who now has seven wins from seven Game 7 appearances, added the game-winner, a crucial power play goal, and the Rangers shocked the world, riding Lundqvist’s final period heroics – he faced a whopping twenty-six shots over the final two periods, stopping thirty-five of thirty-six on the night – to a memorable victory, and onward to an Eastern Conference Final against either Boston or Montreal.
The Rangers’ transformation from Game 4 to Game 7 was incredible. Everything they did wrong in Game 4, they did right every game thereafter. It was as if they’d swapped skins with the Penguins, who did not hold a lead after Game 4. Worse, they only scored three goals in their last three games. One per game is not enough, not with the likes of Crosby (just the one goal in thirteen playoff games) and Malkin in the roster.
Most shocking of all? Not that the Rangers won, but that a Penguins team who were warm favourites – and deserved to be, because of the talent and depth on their roster – simply cannot win when it matters the most. This was Pittsburgh’s fifth straight playoff loss to a team seeded beneath them. It was also the second time in four years that they’ve blown a 3-1 playoff lead. Conversely, it was the first time in franchise history that the Rangers had come back from that deficit.
Great teams can deliver a knockout blow when necessary. Pittsburgh had New York on the ropes three times, and failed to do what was necessary. Now, they face a long summer on the back of a disappointing playoff run. Questions will be asked – of Coach Dan Byslma, of under-performing players like James Neal, of goalie Marc Andre Fleury and others.
While not quite as much of a gut-punch as San Jose suffered after Los Angeles came back from a 0-4 deficit, this one will hurt in Pittsburgh, and fans, having seen their talented team disappoint in the post-season since their memorable 2009 Stanley Cup championship. Springtime is the wrong time for the Penguins. Playoff failure seems ingrained now, and the front office should move swiftly to veer away from that slippery slope.
Despite letting New York back into the series, had the Penguins gone on to win tonight, they would have headed to their fourth consecutive top-four finish and fourth Conference Final appearance in seven seasons. That sounds impressive. Instead, fingers will be pointed all summer, blame assigned, and, likely, changes made.
Amazing what 60 minutes of hockey can change, isn’t it?
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