Keeping Control
Patrick Hoffman (HV)
For the New York Rangers, that headline
embodies the way the team has played so far in the
first two games of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal
final series against the Atlanta Thrashers as they
are up 2-0 against the third seed.
In game one, the Rangers dominated
the Thrashers and yet only won by a score of 4-3.
In yesterday's matinee, the Rangers once again outplayed
the Thrashers but only won by a score of 2-1. However,
both of these scores are misleading as the Rangers
have had the upper hand in both games.
The Rangers are getting contributions
from just about everyone as the team heads into Game
three. The Jaromir Jagr-Michael Nylander-Marcel Hossa
line has been able to pin the Thrashers down in their
own zone and have been able to create an array of
scoring chances. The second line of Sean Avery-Martin
Straka-Brendan Shanahan has forced the Thrashers to
focus all of their energy on the feisty Sean Avery
while leaving guys like Shanahan and Straka open to
create scoring chances. The Rangers third line of
Petr Prucha-Matt Cullen-Ryan Callahan has been buzzing
around the net and the fourth line has done a solid
job defensively.
The Blueshirts have also played smart
defensively, limiting the Thrashers to 32 shots and
four goals in two games. The young Dan Girardi, playing
in his first NHL playoff series, has been poised while
Fedor Tyutin leads the team in points with four assists
and has played well since returning from his sprained
MCL injury.
Henrik Lundqvist, in his second appearance
in the Stanley Cup playoffs, has played much better
than last year so far when he went 0-3 against the
New Jersey Devils. This year, "King" Lundqvist
has won the first two games of the series while allowing
just three goals on 52 shots.
The Rangers head home for games three
and four but know that the Thrashers will do everything
they can to claw their way back into the series. If
the Rangers can keep offensive control, control their
defensive style of hockey and control their heads,
this could be a short series.
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Photo: Sean
Avery
© Andris Jansons (HV) |
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